Obama refuses to surrender Blackberry

[Hawkeye-X]

Source: Breitbart.com

Despite legal and security hurdles, president-elect Barack Obama says he has a plan to retain his beloved Blackberry once he moves into the White House next week.

Interviewed by CNN Friday, Obama said the smartphone was among the tools that he would use to stay in touch with real Americans and avoid becoming trapped inside the presidential "bubble."

"I think we're going to be able to hang on to one of these. My working assumption, and this is not new, is that anything I write on an email could end up being on CNN," he said.

"So I make sure to think before I press 'send'," he said of his Blackberry, which was an ever-present fixture on his belt or in his hand on the campaign trail.


Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.852ed043ba894036ed6e9d0ade0b40a6.7f1&show_article=1

---

Obama rocks - I own a BB as well. I wouldn't give it up for the world.

Mods: I know I missed the 12 hour deadline by 7 minutes, but just found this article...

[Crunchy Frog]

1. I don't understand why they don't want him to have it.

What am I not getting? :shrug:

[Clovis Sangrail]

3. spyware and tracking ability /nt

[Piewhacket]

24. Presidential records act.

[Posteritatis]

6. Every intelligence/news agency on the planet will be trying to tap it (nt)

[lynnertic]

43. If you know how blackberries work you know that it's already tapped

and so is *your* email.

Remember the Great Blackberry Outage of April '07, close on the heels of "Millions of White House emails May Be Missing"?

Erasing records.
:tinfoilhat:

[crikkett]

42. Gatekeeping?

[marshall]

71. I don't understand who "they" are who are telling him what to do?

Thank god he said "suck it" to whoever it is that is trying to tell the POTUS how to run his business!

[conspirator]

73. "They": those who killed JFK nt

[marshall]

74. "They" are now communing with Hugo Chavez

Chavez didn't even wait for Obama to take office before souring the relationship.

[Clovis Sangrail]

2. Blackberries are 99% hype

I had to get one for work and I've had it for a while now (8330 curve)

My Moto Q is superior in just about every way I can think of.
Faster internet, better mail capability, and longer battery life.

Not "the worst" phone I've ever had, but a definite disappointment.

[benld74]

7. Sorry not me man, I went from a BB World to a Moto Q9

nas the Q9 sucks big time! SHorter battery life, MANY more steps to go thru to do ANYTHING on it as compared to the BB. MS op system makes it the dumbest smartphone in the world. BB is so much superior I dont have the time nor patience to list all.

[Clovis Sangrail]

17. the MS OS makes starts really slow

but my BB startup is nearly as long.

My 2 biggest gripes are:

1) I setup a streaming server at home and was able to browse and listen to my entire media collection from the Q. Since I had unlimited data I was basically carrying around a 70Gb mp3 player.
This doesn't work with the BB - mainly because of its browser and media player but even if I could replace those my internet connection is nowhere near fast enough to actually stream music.
It seems everything runs through rim's servers which slows things down quite a bit.

2) Blackberry claims to do IMAP but wouldn't bring down my folder structure until I paid extra for BB 'Enterprise' and setup with an exchange server. Even with this my mails don't always go to the right box, and things I send from my BB sometimes take a day or more to show up in the sent folder on other machines.
With my Q IMAP just worked right from the beginning and I never had a problem with it.

I still have my Q, it's still activated (my wife uses it now), it's the same provider (sprint) and you can watch them side by side and the Q is just *much faster online.

[my3boyz]

36. I don't know about blackberries but I HATE my Motorola Q

My sister gave me the phone because she purchased a BB. It is a pain in every way. I still have not figured out how to use many of the features. Plus it is bulky. I hate it. However, I can't get another phone at discounted price til June. I always said I wanted a BB but after the experience with the Motorola Q, I just don't know. I may go back to a regular phone.

[Deja Q]

38. Windows Mobile has its downsides, but it is a hell of a lot more customizable.

Also having a blackberry, I dislike it. It may be a tad faster, but it's stolid and not nearly as customizable.

[TheWraith]

55. The BBs also lack a lot in terms of browser, multimedia, etcetera.

They're good for email, and only email.

[roguevalley]

62. I think he likes to talk to his girls this way, feels less far away from Michelle and

his babies.

[Clovis Sangrail]

66. your BB is faster??

mine is a dog in comparison

I used my Q (WM5) to check prices, addresses, etc etc *all the time* .
The internet connection on my BB is so slow I often find myself either giving up part way through the wait or thinking about looking something up and deciding it will take too long to be worth it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. I prefer the iPhone

Had both Blackberry and iPhone. iPhone is much better, IMO.

[stlsaxman]

4. i feel for the guy. sheesh- i'd never be able to give up my iPod Touch...

i have no use for a phone.

[Lorien]

25. I feel the same way about my iPhone

it streamlines everything, keeps me organized, and makes travel vastly easier.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. I second the Touch...

as I have said before, they can have it when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers. And, if you have a VoIP, all you need is a mic to have an iPhone.

[stlsaxman]

34. can't wait for a Skype app for the Touch... though it'll never be made.

my Touch does everything the iPhone does but no phone.

and i REFUSE to give AT$T a penny of my money.

[proud2BlibKansan]

I gave my kid a Touch for Christmas

He loves it.

[okiru109]

51. there is a VoIP app for the touch FRING all you need is a headset with a mic

http://www.fring.com/download/iphone

my friend called me on her touch yesterday =)

[Clovis Sangrail]

64. fring works on other phones as well

I had it on my Q for Google Talk - it did voip but I didn't use it.

[awoke_in_2003]

58. The AT&T thing...

is why I didn't buy an iPhone. I was with AT&T before- their customer service was almost as bad as sprint.

on edit: Oh, and they don't have a hottie like Catherine Zeta Jones as a spokesperson :)

[Clovis Sangrail]

65. I would want an iPhone if I could get one sans AT&T /nt

[Ian David]

5. Bush didn't surrender his magic marker. n/t

[benld74]

8. I didn;'t hear he graduated from the crayon,, One small step for W,,,

[tblue37]

47. Bush is a Sharpie man. nt

[No Elephants]

77. As clearly distinguished from a sharp man.

[Politicalboi]

15. Magic Markers can be dangerous

They have toxins in them and they could harm the presidunce. I think he had a big red crayon.

[awoke_in_2003]

28. No, he has a Sharpie...

and he has been sniffing it for the last 8 years.

[KansDem]

48. No, he had a purple crayon. Got it from this guy...

[stlsaxman]

68. Cushlamochree!!!

[L. Coyote]

72. White erase markers poison children's brains with Volatile Organic Solvents

They should be banned from schools.

[tanyev]

52. He still had trouble with the "make sure I think" before he took the cap off.

[bluestateguy]

9. I worry about a future Ken Starr on Dan Burton trying to get their hands on it with a subpoena

It's fine right now as long as their is no independent counsel law, and the Democrats control Congress, but that is not guaranteed to always be the case.

[happyslug]

10. Unfortunately the LAW says ALL communications of the President MUST Meet certain requirements

One of which it must be discoverable if it is every determined needed for litigation. The Blackberry is NOT part of the Federal system so when ever he uses it, is NOT part of the Federal system and thus NOT easily discoverable. This is the result WATERGATE, one of the laws passed as a result of Watergate that ALL communications of the President be documented and at present the Blackberry is NOT capable of being recorded WITHIN the Federal System.

[trthnd4jstc]

12. Make every message Obama uses with his Blackberry recordable. That is easily done. n/t

[Deja Q]

39. Seconded.

I don't see how that's an unfair compromise.

[surrealAmerican]

69. That doesn't seem like it should be an ...

... unsurmountable technical hurdle. I don't get why they think they can't do that.

[Lithos]

13. Not true

In a corporate world, BB works very tightly with the corporate email system. Basically all email passes through the BB server which then proxies into the corporate email system. His emails would be sent through the US Gov't email system.

This is how the one I have for work does things. I send/receive tons of emails, and all of them are part of the corporate email system.

[happyslug]

18. The problem is the Presidential Records act

http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/laws/1978-act.html

The Actual Act:
http://www.archives.gov/about/laws/presidential-records.html

The key is the records MUST be held by the US Government NOT a third party. It can NOT go through a third party, thus your option is forbidden by the Act. Now the act was passed in 1978, in the pre-Cell era (Cell phone existed but were rare, most people did NOT hear of them till the 1990s).

[Deja Q]

40. How does that affect people like governors who use external accounts, like yahoo?

[happyslug]

61. The Presidential Records Act ONLY applies to the Federal Executive office.

State Governors come under whatever is required by their own state laws.

[Hawkeye-X]

19. Actually if Obama uses BIS - Blackberry Internet Services

He can leave a documented email on the e-mail server and it will still be within the law.

Hawkeye-X

[Penance]

76. The White House uses MS Exchange for mail

Emails are managed, stored and backed up on the Exchange server. There's a separate server that connects the Exchange server to the Blackberry network and to the actual Blackberry devices. The issue might be that the mails through RIM's network (RIM makes the Blackberry) to get to the handset and back from the handset to the Exchange server. My guess is that it is entirely about security within either RIM's network or the fact that all cell phones broadcast data to cell towers and are inherently vulnerable to things like sniffing and man in the middle attacks. It could also be that RIM is a Canadian company.

[trthnd4jstc]

11. Maybe they do not want him to have it because they have some fear about his image.

Every Man and Woman has to find his or her strengths. The Blackberry is a President Obama Strength.

[Why Syzygy]

14. Good for him.

That just broke my heart that they would try to take it away.

[Deja Q]

37. Well, if the tinfoil people are right, your heart will break but for other reasons.

:P

Now for something serious: It certainly appears to be a valid national security issue -- and would your belief remain the same if anyone else was elected?

Everybody was pissy over Bush's records vanishing. Never mind what's been already posted here in this thread about official channels, legal issues, et cetera.

Personally, I couldn't care less. I love my PDA Smartphone. But if national security for a high paying position demanded it, I would comply and ask them to give me (or sell me) one that has valid protection or restriction.

[AllHereTruth]

16. CIA Officer -TO- Obama

CIA Officer: President Obama, we have come to collect your blackberry. Please hand it over.

Obama: No.

CIA: We have direct orders from our superiors to take it from you.

Obama: No.

CIA Officer: Please hand it over.

Obama: Again sir, um, i have to, um, reject your orders and, um, order you to return to your previous station and, um, just remember i am the President and, um, this is my Blackberry.

END OF STORY

[Dreamer Tatum]

21. In which world does a CIA officer ask the POTUS to hand over something?

And, in that world, is "sorry, but I'm President" an acceptable evasion?

Jesus, we just got FINISHED with that.

I think this issue will settle itself. Obama will have every moment of every day spoken for. He can use
his BB all he wants, if he has time. Which he won't. I just REALLY hope no one is able to hack into it.
And I also hope the people with whom he has contact with on his BB will remain safe in the case that
THEIR emails are hacked.

It's not JUST about Obama's safety, you know.

[AllHereTruth]

33. Clarification

First off; @Dreamer Tantum
*I think you entirely missed my point...By alot. You seem angry at me with "Jesus, we just got FINISHED with that" remark.

My point Dreamer Tantum was that Mr. Obama will soon be the President and as President he has final say over his BB. Its not like the CIA FBI or Secret Service can TAKE it from him. I am WITH YOU. not AGAINST you in this argument. :)

Secondly; @awoke_in_2003
Its not too many um's. He IS a brilliant speaker. But when put on the spot you HAVE to agree he does ummmm alot. Nothing against him. I would do the exact same thing as would you. The reason he does this is to be sure what he says is exactly what he is thinking. Its not a knock on him...just a slight jab.

Cool cool guys? i seem to be taking some heat from you two for my little 'story'

:)all around:)

[awoke_in_2003]

29. Too many "ums"

this man is a good speaker, not GWB :)

[jazzjunkysue]

20. Maybe he can just use Sasha's.

Wink, wink.

[Piewhacket]

22. oops delete

[Lucian]

23. I would never give up my Blackberry Storm, no matter what.

I don't blame him at all.

[awoke_in_2003]

26. Good on him..

they can take my iPod Touch when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers :) Seriously, I am sure he has the common sense to not send National Security issues across it.

[IndianaGreen]

30. Obama is the greatest celebrity endorser for Blackberry's Research In Motion.

and it doesn't cost RIM a dime in ads.

Keeping the Blackberry will keep Obama in touch with people. Good for him!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

54. Maddow claimed her research showed it's free ad value at $50M.

[backscatter712]

31. I would suggest that Obama move from a Blackberry to a secured Blackberry-like device.

Even with the encryption, doesn't all Blackberry email go through RIM's networks before being passed on to the customer's network? (in Obama's case, the White House servers.) Even if they can't crack the crypto and read Obama's email, they can do things like traffic analysis (tracking who Obama talks to, by doing things like timing attacks and maybe hacking RIM's servers, and they can figure out who Obama's emailing, when, and track communications patterns.)

Don't think that RIM's Blackberry servers and network won't now be the target of every spy and hacker and foreign intelligence agency in the world who hopes to get a peek at Obama's emails.

Really, any Blackberry-like device Obama uses as POTUS should have the following features.

- Communicates over a secure network (C'mon, Air Force One and the Presidential limo have secure communications channels on board. Build a hand-held device that also communicates solely over a secure network. In other words, it should be 100% encrypted with the strongest crypto the NSA can find, be it classified or unclassified. RIM's network isn't good enough. Do things like having random encrypted packets going to and from the device to thwart traffic analysis.
- The White House servers should automatically archive everything that goes to and from the Blackberry-like device, in compliance with the Presidential Records Act. I know that the Blackberry and the servers at the White House can be configured to do this, but certainly this is important.
- Has a kill-switch. Something that Obama or his staff can activate on the device itself to wipe its memory (and its encryption keys) if there's the possibility of it getting in the wrong hands. Also should have a remote kill-switch that can be activated if Obama accidentally leaves the device in the Kremlin after leaving the Russian summit meeting. For that matter, it should have a lot of tamper-resistance - it wipes itself if it's left alone for too long, or the battery is removed, or if someone tries monkeying around with the motherboard, or there are too many wrong passwords entered to unlock it. It should always lock after being idle for more than a minute.
- Should have a radio-silence mode, which can be activated by Obama pushing a button on the device, or remotely by the Secret Service if they believe someone's trying to listen to the device's signals, or trying to use the device's emissions as a way to trigger a bomb, or the NSA discovers a security hole that could result in adversaries cracking the encryption and snooping on Obama's emails.
- Should be resistant to even esoteric attacks, like Van-Eck phreaking - even when not actively transmitting, electronic devices emit EM radiation that sometimes has information that can be listened to, recorded and interpreted - people have been able to listen to the EM noise coming from CRT and LCD computer monitors and use that signal to reconstruct the image on the screen.

Obama's communications are a target. Granted, an off-the-shelf Blackberry can be configured with encryption and such, but there should be more security for the President's communications.

[blogslut]

60. The Tech blogs are on it

http://i.gizmodo.com/5130922/obamas-blackberry-may-be-replaced-with-a-giant-windows-mobile-brick">link:

Obama's BlackBerry May Be Replaced With a Giant Windows Mobile Brick



Obama's http://i.gizmodo.com/5129391/should-obama-give-up-his-blackberry">maneuvering to keep his beloved BlackBerry is far from over, but it's worth noting one possible outcome: that the Prez http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10141398-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20">may be stuck with one of the NSA's approved WinMo handsets.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10141398-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20">CNET has found out which phones have been sealed up tightly enough to satisfy the NSA's guidelines for devices that may transmit data that's classified as "Secret." They're both quite similar, and kind of cool in a completely overdone way. Take the Sectera Edge. Underneath a modifed version of WinMo 6.1, you'll find a comically large set of unusual features, including GSM and CDMA network compatibility, "Classified" USB and serial ports and a secondary "trusted" display...

[backscatter712]

67. Interesting - a device like this might be what Obama needs.

I figure if the NSA trusts it with classified data, it's got at least some protection that the President would need against foreign intelligence agencies and hackers.

[backscatter712]

32. Also, the Presidential Records Act should be amended.

Bush and his cronies have certainly demonstrated the need for the Presidential Records Act in the worst possible way, so all those communications should be archived and kept secure for that reason.

At the same time, we also have to balance the privacy needs of the President, and make sure the future Ken Starrs of the world can't subpoena such communications easily, especially the quick, informal, IM-like conversation that Obama would likely have using a Blackberry. They need to prove probable cause, and have enough evidence to justify turning the President's life upside down (more than it already is,) have a specific thing they're looking for (no fishing expeditions) and a third-party that finds the information for them without spilling all of the president's communications to someone who would use it for politically-motivated prosecutions or attacks.

[rucky]

35. Why can't they just switch it to an enterprise account?

[radfringe]

41. I say hold his blackberry hostage until

he investigates the bush misadministration

[smorgma]

44. Well, after all of the fuss we just made over emails...

This could prove interesting....

[proud2BlibKansan]

45. Good for him

I use my iPhone for reading news and checking the weather more than sending emails. That was my first thought when I heard they were telling him to give it up.

[Triana]

49. The PRA needs to be modified to fit the 21st Century. Blackberries and cellphones are part of life..

...and the President should not be forced to live out of contact and in a bubble because the Presidential Records Act is out of date and the communication cannot be secured.

Secure the device and amend the act so that it protects both the President and his electronic device communications.

It ain't rocket science. And even if it was, it still can be done and NEEDS to be done, rather than forcing the POTUS to live in an ivory tower cut off from those he governs.

[formercia]

50. "So I make sure to think before I press 'send',"

How true. :)

[Kablooie]

53. Is that how it's done? I always send before I think 'press'.

[Arugula Latte]

56. How I do it on The DU, is: Press "post" first, then think later.

See? I had to edit this post. :)

[formercia]

63. Your time to edit has expired.

The quick and the embarrassed.

[bitchkitty]

57. I like this! n/t

[Abq_Sarah]

59. Dear President Elect Obama

Give it up. You knew when you began your run for President that you would be expected to make certain changes in your life in the name of security and transparency. The need for this was further highlighted when Verizon employees accessed your cellphone records last year. Like it or not, you are going to be within a Presidential bubble and you knew that when you received the nomination.

You've told us we're going to be required to make certain sacrifices. Well, so are you. Putting down the Blackberry is a small price to pay.

[aquart]

70. A true 21st century American.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

75. Better he carries one of those than one of these... come to think

of it, wouldn't it have served John McCain to peck on one of these back in the day??

[No Elephants]

78. Please leave it in the Oval Office when you don't want to be tracked, too, Mr. PE.

[ProudDad]

79. WTF is with this Obama guy???

He won't turn in a blackberry.

Hell, they grow like weeds on golf courses.

Hell, he could just order one off-menu at the W.H.

Oh...you don't mean this:



But this?



Not the fruit?



Never mind...
.
.
.
.

[GinaMaria]

80. It's addicting

I'm hooked on mine too.