Prez Will Keep His BlackBerry

Spy-proof smartphone tech means Obama won't have to give up beloved 'BarackBerry'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 22, 2009 4:13 AM CST
Prez Will Keep His BlackBerry
Obama Senior Adviser David Axelrod, left, and Press Secretary-designate Robert Gibbs, center, check their BlackBerries.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Security agents aren't going to have to pry the BlackBerry out of Barack Obama's hands after all, Marc Ambinder reports in the Atlantic. A government agency has added super-encryption technology to a standard BlackBerry, which the president will be allowed to use for routine and personal messages. It's not known if the tech-addicted president already has the device.

Obama has vowed to keep his BlackBerry, despite the concerns of some security experts. To allow him to use the device, the National Security Agency may have worked with telecommunications companies to create a new, ultra-secure digital pathway expressly for presidential messages. Obama and other White House officials will still be banned from using instant messaging.
(More BlackBerry stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X