A New Era of Presidential Security: The President and His BlackBerry

Americans are addicted to their personal digital assistants (PDAs), and President Barack Obama is no exception. Throughout the primaries and the presidential campaign, Obama was often seen using his BlackBerry. Once he won the election, great debate ensued as to whether he would be allowed to continue using it once in office. Initially, the secret service determined that his BlackBerry did not provide the requisite security required for its continued use. Of special concern was the potential that attackers could gain access to government work. Although Obama persuaded his security staff to let him keep using his BlackBerry (or a BlackBerry-like handheld device), it is not clear how, exactly, the device was modified to ensure extra security.