Do replies to texts to multiple recipients automatically go to ALL?

[AC Question]

I have Moto X 1st Gen, Android 4.4.4 using the built-in Messaging app.

I recently sent a text to several family members. One replied with a comment. I replied back to that one. Every other person in the original group got my reply.

Then last night, I got a text from a person whom I did not know and it turned out that this person was replying to a person who had previously sent a text addressed to the both of us, unbeknownst to me. I thought the text I had received was intended only for me. The text I received from this unknown person did not show his number, it showed the name and number of the person who originally sent us the group text. !?!?!? The only reason I knew it was not from the original sender is that the original guy can't spell, use proper grammar or know how to construct a sentence. The unknown text person used proper grammar, etc, etc. Turns out he is a law enforcement person who was on duty and it was an official matter he was addressing. I sure did feel uncomfortable receiving this information and promply erased it.

Can anyone tell me how all this works? Now I'm a little paranoid now about sending a text to multiple recipients or replying to any text. All day today, I have composed a new text when I need to respond so I will, hopefully, know to whom it is going.

I've had this phone for 2 1/2 years and my knees get weak thinking about the possibility that my replies may have gone to unintended recipients.

 

[STEELFIRE3698]

If you send a text to many recipients, it turns it into a group message. So when somebody says something, everybody that was added to the message can see it.

Hope this helps. Sorry this is my first reply. I just made my account today.