The First BlackBerry President

As I predicted a couple weeks ago, President Barack Obama gets to keep his BlackBerry. To quote me: "My guess is that Obama wins this battle--he's going to be the president after all."

According to CNET: "White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that, thanks to a 'compromise,' his boss will be able to keep a security-enhanced BlackBerry and use it for e-mail....Gibbs didn't offer details, but the contours of the compromise seem to be: official, work-related e-mail messages will be subject to the Presidential Records Act and the possibility of eventual disclosure. But strictly personal communications--with family, for instance--will be exempt. This makes sense. As we reported last week, federal law explicitly exempts from disclosure any 'personal records' that do not relate to the president's official function.
Those include electronic records that are 'of a purely private or non-public character' and don't relate to official duties; the law lists diaries, journals, notes, and presidential campaign materials as examples. Similarly, the Freedom of Information Act prevents files from being released if the disclosure would significantly jeopardize 'personal privacy.'"

According to Gibbs, "President Obama will use the device to communicate with select staff and a few friends." One drawback, however, is that President Obama will not be able to use the voice functions for Top Secret communications since it is not secure enough.

Now we just need to confirm whether or not the President will have that Oval Office laptop ...

Prying it out of his Hands: Obama Pressing to Keep His Beloved BlackBerry

Could Barack Obama be the first president to have a BlackBerry? As I've posted before, he is hooked on the machine and wants to keep it as a lifeline to the outside-the-Beltway world. The presidency can be a very insulating place and this president-elect is worried about that isolation. The NYT recently quoted President-elect Obama saying: “I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry....They’re going to pry it out of my hands.”

Mr. Obama will likely have a laptop at his disposal; however, a BlackBerry, because of it's small size and versatility, would mean more outside-the-protective-cocoon access for Obama and that is troubling to many. There are legal and protective concerns about the commander-in-chief being connected to the cyber-world. For example, how would the Presidential Records Act of 1978 or George W. Bush's Executive Order 13233 cover BlackBerry communications? Would Obama's web surfing trail be considered a presidential record?

We'll know who won the battle on January 20--especially if we get a glimpse of the little black machine hooked to the 44th president's belt. My guess is that Obama wins this battle--he's going to be the president after all...

A Laptop on the Oval Office Desk?

President-elect Barack Obama will be the first Internet savvy president in history. Addicted to his BlackBerry, rarely working with hard copies, and staying in contact with his friends through cyberspace, America's 44th president will truly be the first 21st century president.

The New York Times has a fascinating piece on Obama, his use of technology, and the incompatibility of being president and being on-line. The President-elect is accustomed to working in a 21st century environment, for example rarely working with hard copies on the campaign trail: "Mr. Obama’s memorandums and briefing books were seldom printed out and delivered to his house or hotel room, aides said. They were simply sent to his BlackBerry for his review. If a document was too long, he would read and respond from his laptop computer, often putting his editing changes in red type."

However, because of major challenges including cyber security and the implications of the Presidential Records Act, subpoenas and all, Obama will likely have to surrender his BlackBerry and his ability to email--a difficult move for someone so reliant on the device for work and play: "For years, like legions of other professionals, Mr. Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry. The device has rarely been far from his side — on most days, it was fastened to his belt — to provide a singular conduit to the outside world as the bubble around him grew tighter and tighter throughout his campaign....But before he arrives at the White House, he will probably be forced to sign off. In addition to concerns about e-mail security, he faces the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review, and the threat of subpoenas."

Obama is, however, considering having a laptop in the Oval, probably a compromise his aides and the President-elect could live with: "Mr. Obama...seems intent on pulling the office at least partly into the 21st century on that score; aides said he hopes to have a laptop computer on his desk in the Oval Office, making him the first American president to do so." So perhaps in a few months we all may see a picture of the 44th president, sitting at the Resolute Desk, typing away on his laptop. When that happens, we will know for certain that we really are living in the 21st century.