Washington (DC) - Last week, Mr. Obama discussed his dismay that he would more than likely lose the battles against his lawyers and the Secret Service regarding his keeping his electronic link to the real world including his family, friends, and outside news – his Blackberry.


President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in next week, and he has just been told that he will without a doubt, have to hand over his Blackberry device.

If you are like me, and among the many Americans that can’t go without your wireless devices, and connections to friends and relatives then you can probably understand his desire and need.

However, there are many reasons that Obama is being forced to leave his Blackberry behind. First off, issue number one is security. Even though RIM claims that its devices and network is designed to protect all of the data transferred on them, the Secret Service, FBI, and National Security Agency feel that Barak Obama will be more susceptible to hackers and other attacks on such a network.

Currently, the government trusts employees with Blackberry’s because the data sent from them is heavily encrypted prior to being transferred to one of RIM’s network operation centers, and subsequently being distributed out to other networks. This means if a message were to be intercepted it would be impossible to read it, due to the scrambling of the message’s contents, without decryption.

It’s common knowledge that at this point there is not a security system that is completely safe.

Another issue is that Obama’s Blackberry could potentially tip off individuals to his exactly location, thus leading him to potential harm. When a mobile phone is turned on it constantly contacts nearby wireless network to sync up with so that calls can be routed to the phone.

Even though it is a stretch, it is possible that an individual with access to a cell phone company’s systems might possibly be able to utilize the pinging of a phone to a wireless tower in an attempt to track the movements of Obama. In addition, someone scanning cellular frequencies could, while being potentially unable to decode all of the data sent via the phone's encryption, use the signal itself to triangulate his position.

Obama’s job leaves him more prone to privacy invaders taking any opportunity possible to take advantage of a security slip.

Another major issue Obama faces is the fact that all of his correspondence could eventually become subject to legal disputes. Under the 1978 Presidential Records Act, all administrations are required to hand over their communications to a public archive, so that those communications can then be made public five years following a President’s last term.

It is for those reasons that when Mr. Obama becomes our president, he will do so sans Blackberry, and he’ll have to figure out a new method for keeping up with the outside world.

Too bad...

Jan 12, 2009 17:03     

Personally, I'd rather have a president who is 'connected' with the rest of the world... Fight the good fight Mr. President!!! [Obama's attorneys were quoted as saying, "Mr. President, the Blackberry stops here." -Rick]
Electrical Engineer - Henrik report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +4

Kind of hypocritical

Jan 12, 2009 20:11     

Does the White House, Pentagon, and NORAD also not use computers of any kind? After all, if they aren't 100% secure we can't use them can we? If Obama has to hand over his Blackberry, then everyone else in the US Government should be denied access to any kind of computer that exchanges ANY classified material.
Ronald Stepp report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -3

Publicity

Jan 12, 2009 20:49     

Man this is great publicity for RIM and the Blackberry.. I was kind of hoping he would keep the thing so this would keep going, but oh well it was good while it lasted! Yay for free publicity!
fo0b4er report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Oh boohoo

Jan 12, 2009 21:37     

Oh no, this guy have to put national security before his own selfish desires. Grow a pair, get a brain, and realize that when you're President, you have to give up a lot of stuff.
ThatOneGuyThere report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Enginering Technician

Jan 13, 2009 05:13     

Looks like someone (RIM, Intel, Cisco??) needs to step up and create a 100% secure "Presidential" network, so that our president can stay connected.
JaF7 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Re: Kind of hypocritical

Jan 13, 2009 08:47     

The primary difference in these situations is that the President's BlackBerry is wireless. Since cellular signals are publicly accessible, there's no way of physically securing them against interception. Wired systems are far more secure since you need physical access to the wire to see data. I do know that several government and military facilities I've been to use fiber optic instead of copper to further protect data, since even copper can be easily compromised if you have access to it. It's unfortunate that the President cannot use technology like that, but I completely understand and agree with the reason.

JC report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

One down, still one to go!

Jan 13, 2009 10:01     

When Obama finally quits the Crackberry, he will be able to concentrate on quitting smoking. Despite his promise to his wife that he would do so if he was nominated, he has said that he still "relapses".
BernardP report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

Carry the Berry for Obama

Jan 13, 2009 10:42     

You can pledge to Carry The Berry for Obama: http://www.carrytheberry.com
Kerry report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -2

LoL

Jan 13, 2009 12:27     

If I were pres. I would be smart enough to have someone do my communication for me lol.
REM report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

mr

Jan 13, 2009 12:46     

Ohhh, sniff, can't keep up with "close" friends.
d y frazier report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3