14 DAY TRIAL // BlackBerry has been the sole smartphone that US presidents have used at the White House, but now it seems that Barack Obama has gotten a replacement, the Samsung Galaxy S4. However, the handset comes with many limitations due to the high encryption level.
President Barack Obama took office in 2009, and he got a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition with extra encryption features for classified calls and e-mails. He continued to use the device until recently, when he finally got the chance to replace it.
According to Arstechnica, in an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, President Barack Obama has stated that he’s now using a secure smartphone, but hasn’t mentioned the manufacturer or the model. President Obama has also said that the device carries such complex encryption levels that it has the same functionality as an infant’s phone.
Obama now uses an encrypted Samsung Galaxy S4
The smartphone is locked down to prevent data leaks, and for this reason, it doesn’t allow the user to place calls to certain phone numbers, play music or even send text messages. Voice calls are placed through a secure switchboard using encrypted Voice over IP technology.
Although the Samsung Galaxy S4 hasn’t been specifically mentioned, it’s the only mobile device supported by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), which provides communication services to the White House.
Back in 2014, Samsung filed for approval for multiple smartphones for the Department of Defense's Mobility Classified Capability-Secret (DMCC-S) program, but only the Galaxy S4 got the green light. The devices were taken into consideration mainly because of Samsung’s KNOX enterprise-grade security.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is the first commercial smartphone that received approval for connecting to the US government SIPRNet network, the equivalent to the Internet network. The device has additional security layers, while app selection is restricted to a number from the DISA store, and camera access is limited.
