Obama May Have to Ditch BlackBerry, But Could Be First Laptop Prez

The Obama campaign and upcoming presidency are indelibly linked to modern technology. Barack Obama already admitted to being addicted to his BlackBerry. But there is a small roadblock to a tech-literate White House -- Obama may have to give up his BlackBerry and e-mail altogether. That may be tough for the man who has relied so heavily on his hand-held to keep in touch with friends, family, and aides on the campaign trail, as well as a way to keep on top of up-to-the-minute news and to read briefings.

Due to security concerns and the requirements of the Presidential Records Act, the President-elect may be forced to leave the conveniences of electronic communication behind. The Presidential Records Act requires that all electronic communication by the President (even that from a personal e-mail address) must be archived and is subject to public review. That means that personal e-mails between Obama and his wife Michelle, as well as deliberations over policy with aides, would become matters of public record.


The security of information within presidential e-mails is also of great concern. The leader of the free world's correspondence is understandably of great interest to international powers and hackers. Though we will say we're confused as to why the president can't have e-mail, but the secretary of state can.

There is still a chance that, unlike President Bush, a President Obama will embrace e-mail while accepting some usage restrictions. Obama is already set to become the first president to put a computer in the Oval Office. Let's just hope he has something to do in there besides play solitaire. [From: New York Times]

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