No More Mobile Email for Obama?

Lots of news coverage today about US President-elect Obama possibly having to get rid of his beloved Blackberry. Here at Proofpoint, most of us (yours truly included) are Blackberry "enabled" and many of us are Blackberry addicted (yours truly again)... not unlike like our soon-to-be President. So we can understand the angst involved in having to give up access to such a useful widget.

The New York Times has a good summary of the issues and concerns involved with why President Obama may have to go 'Berryless as he takes office. They basically boil down to:

1. Information security: Messages might be intercepted or the device could be lost or hacked. (Hey, it happens: My own research from last year found that 27% of US companies investigated the exposure of confidential, sensitive or private info due to lost or stolen mobile devices.)

2. Physical security: It's possible that a mobile phone like the Blackberry could be used to roughly locate the president's whereabouts.

3. Regulatory: As the NYT notes, "Under the 1978 Presidential Records Act, administrations are required to turn over their communications to public archivists, who make them public starting five years after the end of a president’s final term."

The NYT and other commentators have also noted sartorial objections to Mr. Obama's use of the Blackberry. As shown in the graphic, he goes for the belt holster which -- while admittedly handy -- is pretty dorky.

Gizmodo also has an interesting note, estimating the value of Obama's high-profile use of the Blackberry, if one were trying to negotiate a similarly high-profile product endorsement deal. 

Find the New York Times story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/technology/internet/12blackberry.html?_r=2&ref=technology