BlackBerry devices have been believed to be the safest for ages, but lately the iPhone has also proved to be an amazingly safe device. Hence, U.S. President Donald Trump has been asked to give up the Galaxy phone he has been using for a CIA-approved or similarly approved iPhone.
Image: FlickrBlackBerry, iPhone or Android for Trump
Former President Barack Obama used a modified BlackBerry initially but then shifted to an iPhone. All this raises the question of why so much fuss over a brand. Even an Android phone can be made hack-proof if a full-disk encryption is run or if someone makes a customized version of Android, says IB Times.
However, if you use an iPhone, you will not need to do or think that much. Full-disk encryption is the default setting in iOS 8, which is also armed with a Touch ID sensor, making hacking really tough. Apple’s iOS does not even allow native file-system access, which not only restricts software intrusion but also safely sandboxes apps, notes IB Times.
It will come as a disappointment to many who are expecting a selfie from the modified phone that the POTUS is going to have, or him calling out people in random to say “Hello.” Reports state that Obama’s iPhone was disabled for performing functions such as taking pictures and playing music. Moreover, the device could not be used for sending texts or emails or making calls to carrier networks.
The device did have software that supported protocols like SCIP (Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol) and HAIPE IS (High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor Interoperability Specification), notes IB Times. For these reasons, it could not be hacked, decoded or intercepted. Access to the official Twitter POTUS account was also not possible.
Will Trump be a boring president?
Referring to Trump’s Android cellphone as his “Linus blanket” which held too many contacts, The New York Times recently reported that the president has received instructions from security officials to stop using the Twitter handle @RealDonaldTrump and use @POTUS instead.
The presidency has long been a lonely, isolating office with security concerns keeping the commander-in-chief at a distance from the public. However, with Trump and his love for Twitter, this all might change.
Following the advice/instructions of security agencies, President Trump has already given up his phone. Whether or not he was following the lead of President Obama — the first cellphone-toting president of the nation — who exchanged his personal device for a Blackberry heavily modified for security purposes, cannot be said with surety.
