Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Blackberry Problem

Newly-inaugurated President Barack Obama is a new generation politician. He uses technology for communication. And he's very much into the hand-held email-capable gadgets like his old blackberry. The problem is, his blackberry isn't spy-proof, and it doesn't quite meet the standards of the Secret Service. BlackBerries weren't designed for encryption that protects secret status messages. The sole exception is a model calledthe Sectera Edge from General Dynamics, which allows for top secret voice conversations. But it's unclear at this point if Obama has been issued this replacement.

Another problem is how his personal e-mails and other messages would fit into public record laws, like the Presidential Records Act, which requires records to be preserved in the National Archives. If Obama insists on keeping his blackberry, even his personal messages may be put on record.

Obama claims that he fights to keep his blackberry in order to have other voices reaching out and updating him on the status of America. But when the choice is between interconnectedness and national security, which will give way?

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