Obama secures his Blackberry

So Obama has been allowed to keep his Blackberry.

I’ve blogged about this before so I won’t go in to why I think he should keep it again. But something struck me as I was reading this latest story.  I was treating the issue as one of information security. But it would seem it is not.

The Blackberry is a closed source, wireless device and is vulnerable to attack. Fine. I’m sure the US government employs security boffins many times more knowledgable than myself to deal with the security around the President’s communications.

No, the issue here seems to be that the emails are a matter of public record, which is apparently why neither Bush nor Clinton used email. So does this mean also that any written letter is also public information? I imagine so.  What about anything the president says that is recorded? If so, then they should tape up his mouth because there’s no way to ‘filter’ what comes out of it like they can with written communications.

If it is a case of not trusting the president to use email thoughtfully and sensibly then this is sad.  Millions of americans voted him in, demonstrating that they trust Obama with their jobs, welfare… lives.

Or maybe it is a case of not trusting their own ability to secure the presidents communication channels.

I look forward  to getting more clarity on this one.

B’rackBerry

It will be interesting to see the outcome of Barack Obama’s dilemma regarding whether or not to use email during his term in office. As the first president to use CrackBerry Obama will be connecting with a whole new audience before he even turns the device on. The Blackberry is seen as an essential tool for business by many hard working, middle class, white collar voters. Many of these people will see it as an entirely appropriate tool for a president given the time he will be spending ‘out of office’.

Barack Obama - NZ Herald

 Of course there are security implications as there are with any ICT (information and communication technology). And given that Blackberry is run on a closed source OS many in the information security field will say the risks are higher. But security always involves trade-offs. Lock it down and make it unusable, or open it right up and be wide open to attack.

So presidential emails can be scrutinised by this or that court under law. Then be careful about the content of the emails. Use strong encryption or better yet alternative channels for the really top secret stuff. If some communications are so important that they can only be delivered by word of mouth then that’s how they should be delivered. Most however won’t be. And although I’m no political scientist I’m betting most of the emails the president sends are not matters of national security.

Letting Barack Obama keep his Blackberry is not however just about staying onside with technologically literate white collar workers. It’s about inspiring the confidence of a nation and dare I say much of the world to make the most of the tools available to heave themselves out of the current recession and grasp the possibilities with both thumbs.