Barack Obama, who is famous for his love of his BlackBerry, could become the first US President to use email after reports suggested he may be in line for a new spy-proof smartphone.
Concerns about security and legal issues have forced his close aides and government agents to delay a decision on whether the 44th president would be able to use his BlackBerry or a similar device while in office, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.
The report in the British daily suggested that the tech-savy President, who was sworn in on Tuesday, may be in the final stages of getting his hands on a BlackBerry with special encryption.
A limited number of smartphones are sanctioned for top secret government use – among them the Sectera Edge by Virginia-based General Dynamics. The handset is a heavy-duty highly secure mobile and has been certified by the National Security Agency, it reported.
According to blogger Marc Ambinder in the Atlantic, a government agency has provided the 47-year-old president with a special, highly encrypted mobile which will take care of security considerations.