NEWSObama Gets a Presidential Blackberry
Jan. 21 2009, Published 10:33 a.m. ET
Looks like President Barack Obama is about to get the mother of all Blackerries.
According to The Atlantic, a government agency added to a standard Blackberry a super-ecryption package that Obama will be able to use for routine and personal messages.
It's not clear whether or not he has the device yet.
With few exceptions, government Blackberries aren't designed for encryption that protects messages above the "SECRET" status, so it's not clear whether Obama is getting something new and special. Perhaps the NSA and US telecommunications companies have created a more secure digital pathway for Obama's messages to travel on, one that would resist the inevitable penetration attempts by foreign governments.
A General Dynamics spokesperson declined to comment; the NSA did not respond, neither did two Obama spokespeople.
The messages, like other White House communications, will be kept from the public for the duration of his presidency, if not longer.
Obama and other officials won't be able to use Instant Messaging in the White House.
Earlier in the transition, there was a plan to give select officials access to a Blackberry owned by the Democratic National Committee; the devices would be able to be used for political communication but would be subject to different disclosure rules.
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