President Barack Obama is keeping his BlackBerry. It was unclear if the President would have to surrender his BlackBerry after taking office amid concerns over security and legal concerns. However, on Monday, it was announced that President Obama would keep his BlackBerry for routine and personal messages.
This comes after a government agency installed a super-encryption package to the BlackBerry. Government BlackBerries are not designed for encryption that protects messages above the SECRET status. It is unclear if the device the President is receiving is something new, or simply an enhanced version of the standard BlackBerry.
One thing that has been made clear is that instant messaging will not be used in the White House.
Early in the transition from Bush to Obama, there were intial plans on giving select government officials access to a BlackBerry owned by the Democratic National Committee. The devices would be used for political communication and would be subject to different disclosure rules.
The use of such devices have been traditionally frowned upon. With President Obama cleared to use his BlackBerry, one can only wonder what other changes are in store.
