After months of waiting, President Obama will soon get his souped-up, super high-secure BlackBerry.
The Washington Times newspaper reported Thursday that the presidential BlackBerry 8830 is “in the final stages of development by the National Security Agency.” The agency is still testing the encryption software to ensure it’s up to snuff. And the president could have his new device in a matter of months.
A Washington, D.C. – based company, Genesis Key, developed the software called securevoice. It can turn any BlackBerry 8830 or Curve into a device that is designed to defeat hackers, eavesdroppers and spies. Toronto-based Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, has also been involved in development, the Washington Times said.
President Obama was forced to give up his unsecured BlackBerry after Inauguration Day, amid concerns that its communications and e-mail would be intercepted.
Since his inauguration, the president was forced to give up his unsecured BlackBerry and has been using a cumbersome work-around to communicate with key members of his staff and close aides.
Since his inaugural, the president has used two devices, according to the paper. One is his older-version BlackBerry and the other is an NSA-supplied handheld known as the Sectera Edge from General Dynamics Corp. To use the BlackBerry, Obama has had to plug the Sectera Edge into the BlackBerry, making it cumbersome. Apparently, the 8830 will be easier to use, and also secure.
The White House Communications Agency, part of the Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency, is working with the NSA on the project. A White House spokesman had no comment.
Source: The Washington Times
