[solaarphunk]

It’s worth noting that if you use iMessage for MacOS, all of your messages are stored unencrypted, in plain text, on your computer HD.

[ibigb]

I'd guess most macos systems (laptops) have encrypted hard drives.

[solaarphunk]

Yes, however if you use a company computer, those are typically logged by monitoring software and archived elsewhere.

[ric2b]

That protects you in the case of physical theft but not from any other program you run exfiltrating the data.