surrender your blackberry, obama!

[netrox]

"Sorry, Mr. President. Please surrender your BlackBerry.

Those are seven words President-elect Barack Obama is dreading but expecting to hear, friends and advisers say, when he takes office in 65 days.

For years, like legions of other professionals, Mr. Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry. The device has rarely been far from his side — on most days, it was fastened to his belt — to provide a singular conduit to the outside world as the bubble around him grew tighter and tighter throughout his campaign."

NYT: Obama saying goodbye to BlackBerry? - The New York Times

That would totally suck! I cannot imagine without it!

 

[zerodog]

"Sorry, Mr. President. Please surrender your BlackBerry.

Those are seven words President-elect Barack Obama is dreading but expecting to hear, friends and advisers say, when he takes office in 65 days.

For years, like legions of other professionals, Mr. Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry. The device has rarely been far from his side — on most days, it was fastened to his belt — to provide a singular conduit to the outside world as the bubble around him grew tighter and tighter throughout his campaign."

NYT: Obama saying goodbye to BlackBerry? - The New York Times

That would totally suck! I cannot imagine without it!

No Freedom for next 4 or 8 years term without blackberry. I wonder when he done with term and will admire back with blackberry or Iphone? It could interesting before and after...

 

[Hwy99]

Maybe it's just the workplace policy?

 

[Jiro]

Maybe it's just the workplace policy?

yes. That's why the President has a very limited use with emails. It's just matter of national security. That's why they provided staff for President to do those functions. It sucks but oh well.... maybe Obama can change that.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

I think he should be allowed to keep and use his BlackBerry. Just that some rules should be established as to what can be mentioned and what cannot be mentioned in emails, text messages, and instant messages, etc. I think it would be fine for him to use his BlackBerry for casual things that has nothing official to do with the government, etc, and to keep in touch with his friends and family. Come on, it's 2008, very soon to be 2009.

 

[Jiro]

I think he should be allowed to keep and use his BlackBerry. Just that some rules should be established as to what can be mentioned and what cannot be mentioned in emails, text messages, and instant messages, etc. I think it would be fine for him to use his BlackBerry for casual things that has nothing official to do with the government, etc, and to keep in touch with his friends and family. Come on, it's 2008, very soon to be 2009.

it's not about what can or cannot be said. This is unsecured technology that can easily be intercepted at Blackberry Server or via wireless signal. It may be possible that Obama could lose it somewhere. It is doable for high-tech terrorist or rogue government to track him since Blackberry device contains GPS chip and wireless signal. In short - this is unapproved piece of technology that does not meet national security level.

Like other Presidents, Obama can be easily kept in touch with friends and family with classified contact information only given to anybody at President's discretion. If not - they can easily contact White House directory which will then connect you to President's secretary.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

it's not about what can or cannot be said. This is unsecured technology that can easily be intercepted at Blackberry Server or via wireless signal. It may be possible that Obama could lose it somewhere. It is doable for high-tech terrorist or rogue government to track him since Blackberry device contains GPS chip and wireless signal. In short - this is unapproved piece of technology that does not meet national security level.

You're right.

Perhaps he could arrange to have the GPS chip removed from his BlackBerry. Or, he could get another cellphone/texting/instant messaging device that does not have the GPS chip and arrange to have his device's wireless signal scrambled or something like that (get what I mean?) And also, he should not put any classified or private information on the device (such as his schedule, any government-related information, etc). Just to use his device for casual stuff that has nothing to do with the government and his private stuff. I really should think he should be allowed to have something. I just think it's his right.

OT...I did not know BlackBerries have the GPS chip. I should have gotten the BlackBerry instead of Sidekick...I need GPS. Damn! Oh well.

Like other Presidents, Obama can be easily kept in touch with friends and family with classified contact information only given to anybody at President's discretion. If not - they can easily contact White House directory which will then connect you to President's secretary.

It would suck to have to go through a third person for all communication all the time, especially for family. They would never be able to talk to Obama directly. I know his extended family would like to actually talk to Obama instead of "she said/he said" crap. They probably would like to say "Hi Barack, how are you?" instead of saying "Please tell Barack this and that for me". As for friends and extended family having his contact information, they should be required to sign a contract to not EVER give Obama's contact information to ANYBODY, and to keep it top secret, and if they break the contract they could be subject to some kind of penalty like having to pay a huge fine and their communication (with Obama) privileges revoked. Just my idea. I don't know if that would work.

To be honest, I don't really know that much about devices like Blackberries and Sidekicks and other brands.

 

[sablescort]

RIM should develop a special Presidential edition BB just ONLY for President Obama. That BB would be built without the GPS chip and have pretty strong encryption from NSA (National Security Agency). Plus it can only connect to other US Government provided BB's along with a NSA-maintained BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server).

These special BB's should not be allowed to get into the public's hands. It's like that Presidential Caddy limo that no one but the President can have. Imagine the publicity RIM gets for that special one-off BB that no hacker can break into. It would do wonders for RIM's civilian BB devices sales.

Id hate for the President not to go around without his BB for 8 years. Trust me I cant even stand it if I have to give up my cell phone or BB. But the good news is that Obama might finally put his laptop on that old desk that is in the Oval Office. If it happens, it would be the first time a computer ever sat on a President's desk.

Oh well I can wish for that to happen but I doubt we will see President Obama holding on to his BB after January 20.

PS...I forgot to mention any emails Obama sends or receives after January 20, 2009 is archived permanently and property of the US Government. These messages and President Obama's files will go to his Presidential Library after he leaves office.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

RIM should develop a special Presidential edition BB just ONLY for President Obama. That BB would be built without the GPS chip and have pretty strong encryption from NSA (National Security Agency).

I think that would be a really great idea.

Plus it can only connect to other US Government provided BB's along with a NSA-maintained BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server).

Then how would he communicate with his friend and family via BlackBerry? Unless I don't understand something...

These special BB's should not be allowed to get into the public's hands. It's like that Presidential Caddy limo that no one but the President can have. Imagine the publicity RIM gets for that special one-off BB that no hacker can break into. It would do wonders for RIM's civilian BB devices sales.

Definitely!

Id hate for the President not to go around without his BB for 8 years. Trust me I cant even stand it if I have to give up my cell phone or BB. But the good news is that Obama might finally put his laptop on that old desk that is in the Oval Office. If it happens, it would be the first time a computer ever sat on a President's desk.

Yeah, I can't bear to be away from my Sidekick. I need it for vital communication. I cannot live without it.

Oh well I can wish for that to happen but I doubt we will see President Obama holding on to his BB after January 20.

We can hope.

Sablescort, you sure know a lot about this stuff.

 

[Jiro]

You're right.

Perhaps he could arrange to have the GPS chip removed from his BlackBerry. Or, he could get another cellphone/texting/instant messaging device that does not have the GPS chip and arrange to have his device's wireless signal scrambled or something like that (get what I mean?) And also, he should not put any classified or private information on the device (such as his schedule, any government-related information, etc). Just to use his device for casual stuff that has nothing to do with the government and his private stuff. I really should think he should be allowed to have something. I just think it's his right.

OT...I did not know BlackBerries have the GPS chip. I should have gotten the BlackBerry instead of Sidekick...I need GPS. Damn! Oh well.

it's not just GPS. The point is - the President of United States is using the service thru 3rd Party. That's a very high security risk. Scrambling the phone is not that simple. It's costly and it's not supposed to be used on regular basis or for extended period of time. Scrambled signal is effective only for short period of time. Hollywood makes it look so easy.

As for casual thing - he can easily keep in touch with family members. he's got a phone on his desk lol and he can call them anytime he wants. his secretary carries cellphone/organizer/etc. for him everywhere. His secretary is basically his human "Blackberry." The secretary knows the President inside out.. even more than his wife.

It would suck to have to go through a third person for all communication all the time, especially for family. They would never be able to talk to Obama directly. I know his extended family would like to actually talk to Obama instead of "she said/he said" crap. They probably would like to say "Hi Barack, how are you?" instead of saying "Please tell Barack this and that for me". As for friends and extended family having his contact information, they should be required to sign a contract to not EVER give Obama's contact information to ANYBODY, and to keep it top secret, and if they break the contract they could be subject to some kind of penalty like having to pay a huge fine and their communication (with Obama) privileges revoked. Just my idea. I don't know if that would work.

To be honest, I don't really know that much about devices like Blackberries and Sidekicks and other brands.

Well - obviously... being the President of United States is an extremely busy job. His secretary will have to handle everything for him. This is not some 9-5 job. He is busy 24/7 until he is no longer the President. His friends and family members accept this. They will have to contact him thru his secretary and the secretary will relay the message for him and President can decide whether or not to call back. If he didn't, well that sucks, huh lol.

The family members and friends do not give away info to others. That's why the President trusted them with this info. I think only very few people can know this numbers. Probably 3-5 people. Again - it's at President's discretion to give or not. Beside - it's not a problem if it's been breached. The government can easily close that number and make a new one. Beside - you do not want to mess with government anyway. Why? Because you will have bunch of all kinds of agencies knocking on your door within matters of minutes.. ranging from FBI to Secret Service to Homeland Security to etc.

Remember the phone prank by Icelandic teen who called Bush via his private phone number?

Link

An Icelandic teen, MSNBC reports, figured out President Bush’s private phone number, and called it recently, leaving a message saying he was the president of Iceland and wanted Bush to call him back. When police visited the teen, after being alerted by Secret Service, he would not say how he learned the top-secret number. Big Head DC is speculating that he somehow deciphered the code from when Jenna Bush called her parents during a recent taping of the Ellen show.

 

[Jiro]

RIM should develop a special Presidential edition BB just ONLY for President Obama. That BB would be built without the GPS chip and have pretty strong encryption from NSA (National Security Agency). Plus it can only connect to other US Government provided BB's along with a NSA-maintained BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server).

These special BB's should not be allowed to get into the public's hands. It's like that Presidential Caddy limo that no one but the President can have. Imagine the publicity RIM gets for that special one-off BB that no hacker can break into. It would do wonders for RIM's civilian BB devices sales.

Id hate for the President not to go around without his BB for 8 years. Trust me I cant even stand it if I have to give up my cell phone or BB. But the good news is that Obama might finally put his laptop on that old desk that is in the Oval Office. If it happens, it would be the first time a computer ever sat on a President's desk.

Oh well I can wish for that to happen but I doubt we will see President Obama holding on to his BB after January 20.

PS...I forgot to mention any emails Obama sends or receives after January 20, 2009 is archived permanently and property of the US Government. These messages and President Obama's files will go to his Presidential Library after he leaves office.

that's right.... and Bush & Cheney Administration made their emails disappear.

 

[Jiro]

Yeah, I can't bear to be away from my Sidekick. I need it for vital communication. I cannot live without it.

You can easily live without it when you have several Presidential secretaries and White House staff working for you

 

[Jiro]

RIM should develop a special Presidential edition BB just ONLY for President Obama. That BB would be built without the GPS chip and have pretty strong encryption from NSA (National Security Agency). Plus it can only connect to other US Government provided BB's along with a NSA-maintained BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server).

These special BB's should not be allowed to get into the public's hands. It's like that Presidential Caddy limo that no one but the President can have. Imagine the publicity RIM gets for that special one-off BB that no hacker can break into. It would do wonders for RIM's civilian BB devices sales.

Id hate for the President not to go around without his BB for 8 years. Trust me I cant even stand it if I have to give up my cell phone or BB. But the good news is that Obama might finally put his laptop on that old desk that is in the Oval Office. If it happens, it would be the first time a computer ever sat on a President's desk.

Oh well I can wish for that to happen but I doubt we will see President Obama holding on to his BB after January 20.

PS...I forgot to mention any emails Obama sends or receives after January 20, 2009 is archived permanently and property of the US Government. These messages and President Obama's files will go to his Presidential Library after he leaves office.

This will work if somebody whom he's contacting to has the same encryption codes as the President. Now you understand the potential security risk? This won't work. It's impractical and the government will not accept anything with even 1% of security risk for the President.

 

[sablescort]

This will work if somebody whom he's contacting to has the same encryption codes as the President. Now you understand the potential security risk? This won't work. It's impractical and the government will not accept anything with even 1% of security risk for the President.

Eliminate that 1% security risk by only allowing Presidential-edition BB's to go through the NSA-owned BES. These BB's should not be allowed to use civilian BES servers.

Issue these special BB's only to the Cabinet and important governmental officials (Speaker of the House, Supreme Court justices). Plus these BB's should not be built at a civilian RIM factory, but at a top-secret R & D lab. That way security for President Obama's BB communication can be maintained. Once their terms are up, these BB's should be turned over to the Secret Service and destroyed like they do with old Presidential limos built after 1994.

To ensure security of these special BB's with the Cabinet and President Obama, the NSA and Secret Service should impose severe penalties for losing a Presidential edition BB or disseminating information and specs about them. I'm sure that may work.

Just call that my own hare-brained idea But who knows somebody might come up with that one? But it's time the Government caught up to the 21st Century realities.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

You can easily live without it when you have several Presidential secretaries and White House staff working for you

I suppose so.

I sure don't want to be a president. Too much work and too much responsibility!

 

[Jiro]

Eliminate that 1% security risk by only allowing Presidential-edition BB's to go through the NSA-owned BES. These BB's should not be allowed to use civilian BES servers.

Issue these special BB's only to the Cabinet and important governmental officials (Speaker of the House, Supreme Court justices). Plus these BB's should not be built at a civilian RIM factory, but at a top-secret R & D lab. That way security for President Obama's BB communication can be maintained. Once their terms are up, these BB's should be turned over to the Secret Service and destroyed like they do with old Presidential limos built after 1994.

To ensure security of these special BB's with the Cabinet and President Obama, the NSA and Secret Service should impose severe penalties for losing a Presidential edition BB or disseminating information and specs about them. I'm sure that may work.

Just call that my own hare-brained idea But who knows somebody might come up with that one? But it's time the Government caught up to the 21st Century realities.

Congress, the cabinets and a large portion of government officials already have BB's. This was not an issue because the President is CONSTANTLY on contact with the offices. All of his transportation have phones. Secret Service are always with him. That's another communication redundancy. His secretary's with him too. Another communication redundancy. So is his Chief of Staff... and list goes on. Having his own computer and BB pose a huge liability issue for President and it poses a huge headache. Like I said - perhaps Obama will modernized his office.

 

[sablescort]

Obama will modernize the office of the POTUS for sure. Obama is much more technologically advanced than Dumbya Bush. I think President Obama will sure find a way to bring better technological advances to the WH more than any other President ever did.

Remember I mentioned my 1st post on this thread that President Obama might park his MacBook on the famous HMS Resolute desk. It will be the first time a computer either a PC, Linux or Mac ever sat atop the most famous desk in politics. Since I know the Obamas got a serious love for Mac's, can you imagine how many Mac's (Mac Mini, MacBook, iMac's) Apple would sell if Barack's MacBook was on that desk?

Im hoping President Obama will find a way to keep his BB without compromising National Security...He sure does define "Crackberry!"

Resolute Desk - White House Museum

 

[Reba]

Obama will modernize the office of the POTUS for sure. Obama is much more technologically advanced than Dumbya Bush. I think President Obama will sure find a way to bring better technological advances to the WH more than any other President ever did.

Remember I mentioned my 1st post on this thread that President Obama might park his MacBook on the famous HMS Resolute desk. It will be the first time a computer either a PC, Linux or Mac ever sat atop the most famous desk in politics. Since I know the Obamas got a serious love for Mac's, can you imagine how many Mac's (Mac Mini, MacBook, iMac's) Apple would sell if Barack's MacBook was on that desk?

Im hoping President Obama will find a way to keep his BB without compromising National Security...He sure does define "Crackberry!"

Resolute Desk - White House Museum

The President isn't responsible for White House technology. The White House Communications Office staff is responsible for that. Most of that staff are military people with plenty of recent technology training and skill. Our friend was in charge of that during the Clinton administration until he retired from the Navy. We attended his retirement ceremony at the White House Indian Treaty Room. Indian Treaty Room

Actually, the further up in an organization an executive is, the fewer gadgets and papers will be on his or her desk. CEO's don't want their desks to look like it belongs to the secretary or some lower level manager. Executives use their desks as power symbols for meetings. CEO's don't need a laptop on their desk to research something on the web; they just tell the administrative assistant to do it.

 

[Jiro]

and beside.... the President is the NEWS. and he receives the news before we citizens read about it in the morning

rather pointless to have MAC, don't you think, huh? You pretty much got everything at your own disposal. They even bring movies (I'm talking about the one still at theater) to White House.

 

[shel90]

Very interesting stuff and thread too. I learned something new today. As for giving up his blackberry, I am sure Obama will become so busy with his duties, he wouldnt miss it.

We will have a president who is is technology savvy for the first time. Should be interesting to see how technology evolves under his presidency.

Barack Obama expected to be first US "Tech President"