In the November 19, 2008 newsletter, I wrote a brief article entitled, "Obama May Be Unable To Use BlackBerry at The White House." That article is still available at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/11/obama-may-be-un.html. However, the news out of Washington indicates that Obama will keep his BlackBerry, but for personal use only.
Few details are available and neither the National Security Agency nor the White House are talking. The current rumor is that the BlackBerry will be used exclusively for personal use and a Sectera Edge will be used for official communications.
This has an effect on public records because all communications by the president, including e-mail, are considered to be public records. Security concerns may keep them out of public access for some years, however. The BlackBerry is not secure and therefor not suitable for classified information.
The Sectera Edge is a Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device (SME PED) for voice and data, built by General Dynamics, according to information at the company's web site at http://www.gdc4s.com/content/detail.cfm?item=32640fd9-0213-4330-a742-55106fbaff32. In fact, it looks like a BlackBerry.
