Obama Gets to Keep His Blackberry, With Security Enhancements

The best kind of publicity is free publicity; even better when that publicity comes from the world’s most powerful man. President Obama, in the days leading up to his inauguration, was extremely vocal about his desire to hold on to his Blackberry which, due to security concerns, would be denied to him as President of the United States. Now, after a few security upgrades, it appears that President Obama will get his wish.

The government has a standard issue Blackberry, but it’s only secure up to SECRET level (and not TOP SECRET, which most of the nation’s intelligence is secured). Only one device, the Sectera Edge, is certified for encrypted voice communications above the SECRET level. It’s not clear if the device President Obama is getting is based on the Edge, or if he is getting something different, as details of the device are, for obvious security purposes, scarce. But, as a sign that the new administration is taking a more forward looking stance on technology, having a President that has 24/7 access to modern communications is a good sign.

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