Obama on iPhone: I Can't Have One for 'Security Reasons'
President Uses BlackBerry, Flip Phones and a Secret Email for Security
Obama can't use an iPhone because it's not as secure as the BlackBerry phone he currently uses, he revealed at a press conference Wednesday. He was meeting with youths on Wednesday to promote the Affordable Care Act when the question of his phone choice came up- the BlackBerry has long since lost its crown as top smartphone.
"I'm not allowed, for security reasons, to have an iPhone," Obama said. He joked that his daughters are allowed Apple devices, and he has an iPad personally given to him by Steve Jobs, according to Reuters.
Obama reportedly fought to keep his Blackberry in 2009 when he got into office, and Research in Motion- they've since changed their name to BlackBerry- customized a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition just for him. Even though they've since been trumped by the iPhone and Android phones, the President still has a BlackBerry, and it may have to do with the way the company uses email servers.
While Apple, Google and Yahoo forward email through their own servers, BlackBerry uses their BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which can be controlled by an individual organization like the White House.
In addition, BlackBerry is a Canadian company, so there's a slightly lower chance of American organizations like getting access to the President's phone. The White House has certainly taken measures to restrict access to Obama, with only around 10 people in the country having his personal email address. Even then, the emails are scrutinized for malware and other viruses.
And then, the President doesn't use his phone for calls often, either. Most times Obama has been photographed talking on old-school flip phones, possibly because they are more difficult to hack or infect with viruses, according to Fox News.
