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Todd Watson

Obama Keeps His BlackBerry

Written by Todd Watson
1/22/2009 3 comments
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I got up really early to watch the Oscar announcements this morning. OK, not as early as the folks in L.A. who had to do the nominee announcing, but early enough for me.

Mickey Rourke nominated for Best Actor in "The Wrestler." Wow. Somebody made some money in Vegas this morning on that action.

Somebody's also making some money on the new, super secret Obama BlackBerry.

Yes, boys and girls, our new president isn't going to have his technological tether taken away after all!

People thought I was crazy saying he should be allowed to keep it.

It's dangerous, they said.

People will see his secret communications!

Foreign governments will monitor his every word!

Well, apparently the National Security Agency (NSA) thinks differently, and has come to Obama's BlackBerry rescue just in the nick of time. Marc Ambinder writes in his Atlantic political blog that the NSA "added to a standard blackberry a super-encryption package... and Obama WILL be able to use it... still for routine and personal messages."

He gets to escape the presidential bubble via technology, after all.

Scarlett Johansson, stand by for some more of those late-night missives!

With regards to instant messaging... well, sorry, White House staffers, you'll have to leave that GTalk and AOL Instant Messaging at home.

As to my own BlackBerryness, my recent TurboTech podcast went through all the fineries of why I went in the direction of the BlackBerry Bold: Download.

And very soon, Scott and I will also have a new TurboTech episode about the impact of social media on Inauguration Day and the technological proclivities of the new Obama Administration.

— Todd "Turbo" Watson, blogger for IBM's On Demand Business Website

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KMT568
IQ Crew
Friday January 30, 2009 1:26:09 PM
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In a previous article post, I didn't think Obama needed to keep his blackberry, but I really don't care that he is going to keep it either. Perhaps by keeping his blackberry, he feels he's holding onto at least a slice of his life pre-presidency. I hope, however, his information is secure (and that all of our information is secure) because all of the incidents of laptops being lost with government information, etc. are horrific. Since technology is such a major centerpiece of society, it needs to be properly safeguarded. Perhaps Obama's blackberry decisions will lead to more concrete and sensible solutions/laws about privacy and protection online.
Chunk4546
IQ Crew
Thursday January 29, 2009 10:58:22 PM
no ratings
I think it is fine for him to keep his blackberry.  I have seen many of the ways they can encrypt the blackberry and also know somewhat how are secrets are kept from foreign nations.  Im sure that the NSA and other agencies now exaclty what is sent across his blackberry and will not allow national secrets to escape.  If he wants to keep in touch with firends let him.  Big brother is even watching over the president. 
rsheel
IQ Crew
Monday January 26, 2009 2:01:18 PM
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Since he gets to call only a small subset of his friends and wellwishers, I think he will not be able to get 'outside the bubble information' that he had hoped for.  Its a good start but there is still a risk for the president to get into 'groupthink'. 
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