Legal Technology
Obama Reportedly Gets a Super-encrypted BlackBerry
Posted Jan 22, 2009 7:30 AM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Barack Obama has apparently won his fight to retain his beloved BlackBerry.
An unidentified government agency has added a “super-encryption package” to a standard BlackBerry that the president can use for routine and personal messages, according to The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder blog. The device is designed to protect Obama from hackers who seek to read his messages or learn his location, explains the National Business Review.
The Marc Ambinder article says BlackBerrys aren’t designed for encrypted messages of top-secret status, and it’s not clear if Obama is “getting something new and special.” A device that could do the job, the blog says, is the $3,350 smartphone called Sectera Edge, made by General Dynamics.
Earlier this month, Obama said he was in a “scuffle” with his lawyers over keeping his BlackBerry. “I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Obama said in a CNBC interview. “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.”
While Obama won his BlackBerry battle, his aides aren’t so lucky. They will have to deal with a ban on instant messaging, Politico reports.
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Comments
Give it time
Jan 22, 2009 7:39 AM CST
Give the Chinese a week and they will have hacked into it. No computer or phone system is safe.
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Ugh the Blackberry
Jan 22, 2009 4:44 PM CST
Agreed. This is a terrible idea. Not only will he have enough distractions without being constantly signaled by that horrible device, thousands of hackers are almost certainly on this job right now. Can you imagine what a foreign government would pay to read the President’s emails in real time? It’s dangerous enough with a landline - going wireless is crazy.
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2fewsecrets
Jan 22, 2009 10:18 PM CST
Top Secret, yawn, meant to be hacked by ...
Implementation issues always rule. Keep your distance from other RF signals. STU III phones had such issues. Would be interesting to read about Sectera Edge.
AES for Top Secret, grr, loop mode meant to be flawed. I’d rather use what banks use, Triple DES, 3 key, 3 IV, custom S boxes if you have access to brains.
Never trust any vendor.
Besides, the president is boring. Sorry charlie, hackers are interested in far more interesting things than just a man.
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Allen Sheketovits
Jan 23, 2009 6:55 AM CST
Oy, just what we need, another blackberry. I think we should go back to the days of rexographs.
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Steve Perkins
Jan 23, 2009 6:56 AM CST
I think this whole fight-for-the-Blackberry “drama” is just human interest material being fed to an adoring press that never calls B.S. on anything. What do you mean, President Obama “fought” for “permission” to have a cell phone? The Secret Service falls under the Executive Branch (the DHS specifically)... so an executive order written in 30 seconds would end any “fight” that his security detail cared to put up. Yet we’ve been reading a month’s worth of coverage about the issue like Barack’s been begging permission from his parents to borrow the car.
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Joe Jefferis
Jan 23, 2009 7:26 AM CST
Who is so important to the President to talk with secretly? Does he take his marching orders from someone outside the USA? Or does he have a shadow cabinet with his Chicago cronies like Bill Ayers? We won’t know until its too late.
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Jose
Jan 23, 2009 7:48 AM CST
Did you see Obama going over his executive order the other day and he has to turn and ask if he said it right and then he repeats more of what he is spoon fed.
This guy is dumber than a box of rocks. Who knows what we are in for?
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Joe
Jan 23, 2009 8:13 AM CST
ARE YOU SERIOUS???????
I AM SOOOO HAPPY HE CAN KEEP HIS BLACKBERRY. MY RESTLESS NIGHTS ARE OVER. wooo hooo
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Can you say Dubya?
Jan 23, 2009 8:14 AM CST
“Dumber than a box of rocks” is still a giant improvement over the guy who just left office.
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Huh?
Jan 23, 2009 8:16 AM CST
Comment removed by moderator.
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Huh?
Jan 23, 2009 8:40 AM CST
And the moderator removes my comment without explanation because they are embarrassed they published such a nonsense article. Wonderful, next time use your brain and you won’t be ridiculed by the legal community…
Take my suggestions and don’t censor the community if you want us to stick around…
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Molly McDonough
Jan 23, 2009 8:46 AM CST
#10. If you had used a real email address, I would have explained that most of your comment was fine. It’s the name-calling that is prohibited. You’re welcome to repost within our comment policy guidelines.
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Liz Pierce
Jan 23, 2009 8:50 AM CST
I would like all comments to be posted. Why are you censoring the comments.
It is time that our federal government begins to become more up to date.
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P
Jan 23, 2009 8:55 AM CST
He graduated with honors from Harvard Law school. He became President of the United states from obscurity - unlike Bush, who was part of a famous, wealthy family, and was essentially handed the opportunity. Dumb hardly applies to this man.
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Huh?
Jan 23, 2009 8:55 AM CST
For those curious (until the moderator deletes this comment), I criticized the errors in this article:
1. I claimed this is not legal technology news.
2. The Sectera Edge is a PDA smartphone and not a Blackberry because it is not a RIM product.
3. I explained this product looks more like a Palm or Nokia than a blackberry.
4. I explained the new smartphone will have txt and instant messaging disabled.
5. I linked to the current price list pdf of the Sectera Edge and explained this product has been around since 2007.
6. Finally, which is probably prompted the deletion of my comments, I used to the word “idiot” to describe the author who thought this was a true and accurate article to publish.
(word to the moderator, if you are upset about only a small sentence in a comment, rather than remove the entire post which is truthful and non-offensive, make a minor edit that removes the criticism that offends you. Quite disturbing you felt compelled to delete a post over one word.)
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Sofiye
Jan 23, 2009 8:59 AM CST
I’m glad he gets to keep his Blackberry. Now there is no excuse for him being called “out of touch” like our last President Bush. I don’t know what I’d do if I walked into any office to work, had no computer and then was told my Blackberry was off limits too!
As for the comment at #6, sounds like sour grapes to me. There are plenty of things you can say about anyone to criticize them, but even his opponents know that dumb is not accurate when it comes to President Obama.
I’m no idiot and I’m not too proud to admit I might have some questions my first week on the job as leader of the free world!
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Huh?
Jan 23, 2009 9:04 AM CST
#10 Molly - I have never posted with a real name or email before. This is the first time anyone has deleted my comments from the board. I am looking at many posts and see false aliases and names. My ip address is logged if there is a need to ban or block me for inappropriate content.
If you are going to moderate the comments, then remove everyone’s that is false. If you find something wrong with a post, take the time to mention that when you delete someone’s post. And finally, if you really wanted real email addresses used when posting, enforce an email verification with the comment section.
It’s a shame that what I’m saying will make sense to everyone but the abajournal moderators.
And please, if you are going to edit your articles, include an updated timestamp under your post. You are embarrassing the reputation of the ABA with an article that has a headline and content such as this.
It would have been wiser for you to remove this article completely rather than delete my posting in my opinion…
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Benjamin Graeme Hartford
Jan 23, 2009 9:06 AM CST
Am I the only one that missed the whole “there will be no double standards in my administration” deal? And then he gets a suped-up BlackBerry but his puppeteers, er, aides cannot even IM their wife “I’m busy greasing the wheels of socialism, will be home late, keep boyfriend a while longer”?
Hmmpf.
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Benjamin Graeme Hartford
Jan 23, 2009 9:11 AM CST
Congrats, Ben…
I meant to say:
Am I the only one that CAUGHT…not missed.
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NCLawyer
Jan 23, 2009 9:31 AM CST
” I have never posted with a real name or email before.”
Well, that certainly explains the level of commentary here. Even though, in this particular instance, I agree that this is a non-story, and could not care less what kind of phone the President uses.
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J.D.
Jan 23, 2009 9:37 AM CST
The ABA has an interest in not allowing this site to devolve into the juvenile “Above the Law”-style of comments—the comment sections there are ludicrous.
Give Molly a break.
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NCLawyer
Jan 23, 2009 9:41 AM CST
Actually, I’d like to see both email verification and ABA membership verification required for comments here.
But it does make me feel better about the legal profession to have my suspicions confirmed re: the identity of the posters here. I was dismayed at the thought that there are practicing attorneys who believe Obama was born in Kenya, has a shadow cabinet, etc. etc. etc.
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J.Dirk.
Jan 23, 2009 9:45 AM CST
Complaining about the comments on this forum is silly. They are almost never worth reading anyway (but, more often than not, that goes for the stories the ABA posts too).
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Andy the Lawyer
Jan 23, 2009 10:43 AM CST
Responding to #22—There are a couple of million lawyers in the USA. Statistically speaking, some have to be morons or, if you believe that a unique skill set is required to pass bar exams, idiot savants.
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jd2b2010
Jan 23, 2009 10:59 AM CST
eh, there are better sources to get news from (although occasionally, a catchy title will get my attention).
i don’t see what the big deal is; so the president wants to send emails… hey, should he screw up, it’ll be easier for the public to know the inner workings of our executive branch.
besides, i’d rather a president knew what’s going on around him if having a blackberry will achieve that, rather than have him be completely out of the current technology loop.
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Steven McKoen
Jan 23, 2009 12:29 PM CST
I agree that this isn’t a particularly newsworthy story, but I have to say I am curious as to whether the device he ultimately uses is a blackberry or not. As I understand it, all blackberry messages in North America are routed through servers in Canada. I’m actually kind of curious how they manage to deal with that issue.
@ Huh? - You complain that your entire post was deleted rather than just edited. I don’t think you’ve thought your position through. Having a policy of deleting and not editing is, in my opinion, the correct one. Often extracting a single sentence from a post can completely change its meaning and turn it into a statement that the original poster would never make. I think Molly was completely correct in her approach here as it is the only one that ensures both adherence to the site’s rules and does not put words (or take words out of) a person’s mouth.
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Huh?
Jan 23, 2009 1:14 PM CST
@ Steven - You and other are right, I am not attacking Molly for deleting the message since she was following the comment policy for moderators. My problem is that a comment such as mine should be explained better than just simply writing “Comment removed by moderator.” It would have been just as effective to remove the parts of my posting that violate the comment policy since she agreed most of it was fine. I’m not saying the moderators should edit and rewrite a person’s post, but to delete the entire post without explanation does not educate others not to make the same mistake.
Extracting a sentence out of a post could change the whole meaning, but in my particular situation, it was just a ridiculous rant that added no substance to the discussion. Molly did the right thing to delete my post according to the policy, but I think its enforcement is subjective and only enforced occasionally.
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Bryan
Jan 23, 2009 1:59 PM CST
@Huh - re-read the moderator’s post. She wasn’t saying that she wouldn’t have deleted had you had a valid email, she said she would have sent you a message explaining the deletion and asking you to repost with the offending material removed.
That said, technology marches on. Many attorneys are Blackberry addicts. Obama is one of them, and, while I’m not, I can see where he wouldn’t want to feel out of touch and, at the same time, wouldn’t want even a slight learning curve to switch to some other (probably better) device.
I’m willing to bet that at least a few people out there are still writing briefs using wordstar or even a typewriter because they don’t want to take the time to learn a different package, and that’s not as intimate as today’s smartphones are.
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Huh?
Jan 23, 2009 2:41 PM CST
@Bryan - Yes I realize she would have emailed me if I put a real email address, but what I was saying was full deletion wasn’t necessary. If a post has a line that violates the policy, then I think it would better to redact it rather than completely delete it. The point is moot now and this is just a waste of time for others reading this.
The article still reads BlackBerry in the title and content, showing they refuse to correct this mistake. It’s like calling all digital audio players ipods. You’d think the journal would want to be a little more accurate in its articles…
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Allen Sheketovits
Jan 24, 2009 5:16 AM CST
What is all the hub-bub about. I get deleted all the time. Why? I don’t know.I am perhaps coming late to the party; I think law is not all that it is cracked up to be. I think lawyers think that they know everything, but they don’t. My girlfriend, Ellen, is a lawyer, and often I can’t get a word in. This website finally banned her and it was the only way they could shut her mouth. I do not have this option as she does not use the web to interact with me.
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LOL
Jan 25, 2009 1:00 AM CST
@Huh? Business slow?
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E Platz
Jan 25, 2009 3:52 PM CST
Comment removed by moderator.
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No log in wanted
Jan 28, 2009 8:58 AM CST
If we had to log in to post comments, no one would post a comment. No one wants a permanent record of anything they post on the internet under their name.
I for one would stop commenting. I don’t ever post using my real name on any website. I don’t want someone to google me and find what I wrote (half the time in jest etc).
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Chi Town
Jan 28, 2009 10:44 AM CST
I support this and other “professional” sites deleting comments that are outside their policies. As a professional, I’d like to blog with people who can make their points without the juvenile antics, such as calling other bloggers names. There are sites out there for those kinds of theatrics, the ABA site shouldn’t be one. More power to you, Molly.
That said, let the President keep his smartphone; it’s a sign of the times. I’m sure he isn’t sending the launch codes or CIA mission summaries via wireless email. He is an extremely bright man. I agree with the blogger who has insisted that the site use the generic name of the device, if it’s not a Blackberry.
Peace
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Jade
Jan 28, 2009 11:30 AM CST
#33, What are you trying to hide? Good grief so if someone knows your name they might… what??? good grief.
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R
Jan 28, 2009 1:13 PM CST
Hey “No log in”: you are required to provide your email to post. I, too, prefer not to use my real name unless the ABA prefers to take that position. However, don’t fool yourself that people can’t trace you back through your email and ISPs and your computer’s IP address. They can find out who you are - if They want to.
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John Dorian
Jan 28, 2009 2:35 PM CST
please stop calling it a blackberry.. It is a PDA/Smartphone running a version of Windows Mobile.
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John Dorian
Jan 28, 2009 2:40 PM CST
I’m sure you don’t want a nasty-gram from a RIM lawyer for dilution of there trademark.
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Lisa Wiley
Jan 28, 2009 4:59 PM CST
I just wasted 10 entire minutes of my life reading these comments…I cannot believe my esteemed colleagues in the legal profession would waste so much time and energy arguing about our president’s cell phone. Get a life…or at least some work!
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cjacobs001
Jan 30, 2009 1:08 AM CST
Please excuse me for interrupting the flow. Intercepting the messages from the wireless device, then gaining all of the useful information from those messages;
the recipients are also getting super encryption to enable responding ?
the recipients are under obligation AND WATCHFUL eye to ensure their devices are protected? - After all, they have to de-crypt the messages which will then remain on their vulnerable devices with lots of usefull information from \ in those messages.
-Just becasue the President of the U.S. wants something, does not make it smart. (no offense intended)(that is one of my real emails)
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