President Obama Keeping His BlackBerry — A Bad Idea?

I’m sure someone had these same concerns when the telephone was invented. Its technological change and the President is no different than any other high-level decisionmaker in that regard. So long as the Blackberry communications are conducted in the spirit of open government, why the big fuss? Would it really be such a big deal if the President used Facebook? What’s the security risk there?

Why not Facebook? Why should the president be isolated? This is nonsense. Give him his Blackberry and encrypt it if necessary. Did you see those incredibly archaic phones he has to use in the Oval Office? I’ve not used anything like that for over 20 years.

100% is the good idea. The President won through communicating, and it is in his blood. Cutting him off from this device could have affected him psychologically.

I can see his detractors now:
“While crisis A was going on, he was texting about a basketball score!”
Personally, I would not want to give them the satisfaction.

facebook isn’t next, already been there done that. I am glad he is moving the presidency into the 21st century instead of going backwards, I love his web site and weekly addresses too, very updated and helpful, feels like he is really keeping the public informed and involved (and I didn’t even vote for him)

I have to agree with Rita; Obama’s main appeal is his ability to communicate effectively. If he wants to keep his Blackberry, let him. He knows the risks. He’s a big boy, he can take care of himself.
And besides, this is the 21st Century. I like having a tech-savvy President. Probably the main reason that the previous presidents didn’t email is because either it wasn’t available, or because they couldn’t click their way out of a paper bag.

I think he should be a mature enough person to give up the blackberry. He has enough to deal with and not worry about his blackberry like a teenager.What are we in for? God bless America. We need so much of God’s blessings more than ever before.

Both the article and the comments spread a lot of confusion on this issue.
Google “siprnet mobile device” to see for yourselves: there is a much better alternative, a truly secure mobile device he can use on the government’s -secure- counterpart to the Internet, SIPRTnet. THAT is what he and his senior staff should be using.

Smart!
Obama needs his blackberry for more than email I’m sure. I mean when he is away that is his private contact to his loving wife and beautiful daughters. I know the naysayers are use to the old dudes in the office that didn’t even know how to change a lightbulb because the maids did it for them all their rich silverspooned lives. Hell if Bill Clinton was in office now he would be saying the samething. He came into office when the cell phones & internet was still new, they were not used for everyday use like today.
The president should be able to use a highly secured website & secured cell phone that will disable anytime sensitive information is being texted. They do it at companies blocking sites and there is technology for cell phones to able him to use it.

Here are my concerns about this, first who is going to make the encryption, and security software? China, Korea, India, or who knows where? If we are to protect US Interests with technology that ultimately were created overseas, are we really protecting the interests of the country by doing this? Secondly someone has to be able to ensure that he, Obama himself doesnt and cant download anything that could ultimately pilsh information regarding our national interests, security etc. As most of us know, if its connected it is vunerable to be hacked. Just because one door isnt open doesnt mean there are not hundereds if not thousands of other doors that just might. And just because the “security” is in place, there was an article on MSNBC just the other day regarding some Antiwhatever ultimately being able to take control remotely over any computer. Is it such a good idea now?

So now I mentioned Software, lets metnion Hardware for just a moment. 99% of all circut boards, chipsets, and devices are made overseas. Who is to say that that hardware doesnt have preprogramed encoded BIOS designed to store, transmit, or distroy any infomation chosen by a remote location by the maker of the device, or better yet a subcontractor for the maker.. Not to be parinoid, but it is something to think about. Reality folks we are so very reliant upon technology that isnt ours, that we could ultimately plug our selves in and find our selves unplugged in a hurry. Is it such a good idea now?

I just hope it won’t distract him and gets addicted of it.
Lots of people just can’t control themselves.
They even use it while they are driving.

IMPEACH Obama!!!!!!!!!
He is a Crackberry Addict!!!!!!!

so u say impeach President Obama, well than u should lock up every person who uses a blackberry, plus people are intitle to their own personal life why take that from him, are u ceazy?

LOL and so it begins, the calls for impeachment and its only his 3rd day…. I guess Patricio supported all the trillions of dollars wasted on phoney information that led to the deaths of thousands of Americans. But then again perhaps he (Patricio) would rather be microchipped, tracked, and eleminated when deemed unviable. Reality folks unplug yourselves from all this information trading, go outside look at the stars, look at the sky, and wonder just why it is we are here. Peace be with all.

Geez, some of you must have believed he would be denied anything!
He’s not used to that. Look at his choice for Treasury. Can’t handle his own taxes, so of course Obama puts him in charge of the IRS.
So the Indulged One gets to keep his toy. Can’t wait until a truly intelligent 12-year-old hacker pulls out his info…

Release a bunch of dangerous terrorists for two seconds, spend rest of day worrying about Blackberry…Good to see you on top of things, Mr.President! How’s the Iraq thing going. And the 7,000 other promises you made?

Posted by: TxBoB, don’t be so
hard on yourself. Your going to give
yourself a stroke or worse.

The best part of the whole discussion, whether or not he keeps the blackberry, was that he wants to be connected at the grass roots. I think Facebook is a good place for that, on the Blackberry or online at the Whitehouse. What happened to positive, constructive criticism? He wants to hear from us – so respectfully tell HIM what you think.

You are missing the point. Keeping and using his blackberry is dangerous. The enemy could hack into his blackberry’s signal and know where he is at, and perhaps use that knowlege to kill him. How do you think Isreal killed some terrorists? It’s the phone, stupid.

You miss the other point too, Sandy, that Israel could make it because the phone was surely not the one used by the US President! No security details at all, etc. Well, if you think that US is incapable of securing President Obama’s blackberry, then why they let him continue to use it? It’s the security system attached that matters, stupido…

Sandy, so the news been telling us that it’s going to be a different gizmo than the usual blackberry.. To good to be true?

lets be serious…its a good idea. He gets to communicate through the most secure platform on the market and can add additional security. if hes going to communicate, this is the way to do it. Blackberry are in the hands of every major government agency in the US…they wouldnt be there if it wasnt tested.

It will give all those idle hackers out there something to do…

But shouldn’t the President operate at a higher level…
Are you joking? Finally we have a president that is in touch with the people. I for one like the idea of the president in touch with technology and not making comments like “The Internets” or “The Google”. And why not Facebook or at least a weekly blog? Is that much different than a TV address? Oh no have people read something instead of watching it on TV, cats and dogs living together! It will be complete anarchy!

This goes to show how much folks really know about the Blackberry System. Blackberries do not have to operate through the Research in Motion servers. You can build your own using RIM software and secure it as much or as little as you wish. I’m quite sure that the White House Communications Office is quite qualified to secure anything they wish and the Blackberry is very easy to secure. It’s simply a matter of changing the SIM chip. Just like on a Blackberry World Edition you can change from CDMA encoding to GSM encoding you can also change the level of security on the Blackberry. He also can use several levels of filtering on email.
All of this talk about his wanting to use technology to communicate and what he can and can’t do is pure speculation.
The White House Communications Office will explain to him what needs to be done to accomplish what he wants and they WILL get it done.

I’m sure the person who is responsible for signing Executive Orders is capable of figuring out what NOT to send over his BlackBerry. Personally I believe if you’re not in the meeting with the folks developing a plan to make this work for the President, you don’t know enough to be able to say this is the wrong choice.