White House phones are leaking confidential information, according to President Trump. Could a ban on personal cellphones fix the problem? Find out here!
How many times a day do you look at your phone? 10? 100? How many times do you take a picture, or record a video? President Trump thinks that White House staff member use their phones too much, and cause leaks.
More than 95 million new pictures and videos are posted every day just on Instagram, and millions more are posted on Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook. Last year, there were over 6,000 tweets per second. If I wrote how many tweets total, it might take up the whole blog post.
The Trump Administration has had a flood of leaks in recent months. These cyber security concerns aren’t without good reason, as previous leaks have caused lots of problems for them. The Chief of Staff has changed multiple times in the past year, and the current holder of the position, John Kelly, had his phone hacked for an unknown period of time, maybe for months, according to White House officials.
Though President Trump seems to use Twitter just fine, personal phones are becoming more of an issue in the White House. Confidential information is not staying confidential, and Trump wants to see some changes. There haven’t been any POTUS tweets on the subject, however.
The Current Situation
Bloomberg Politics reports on the topic, discussing the concern staff members have with the potential policy changes. Many officials at the White House have been issued a government “work” phone, which many of us are familiar with. However, these phones have limited features and may prevent communication with family members. Bloomberg.com reports:
“Mobile devices issued by the White House aren’t able to send text messages, creating a hardship for staff who say texting is often the easiest way for their families to reach them in the middle of a busy day of meetings. Other staff is concerned that they could be accused of wasting government resources if they use White House-issued phones to place personal calls.
“The White House computer network already blocks employees from accessing certain websites, including Gmail and Google Hangouts, meaning that without personal devices officials could be cut off from their personal email accounts throughout the workday.
If personal phones are banned at the White House, other issues are bound to arise. Due to the Presidential Records Act, all communication within the presidential cabinet is kept and preserved. It is also public domain. This means that personal phone calls could be recorded, and eventually released to the public. This could deter people from using government phones for personal communication, but it also could encroach on their privacy.
For now, measures are being taken to minimize the risk of leaked information. Personal phones are often required to be placed in cubbies outside meeting rooms when confidential information is discussed, and certain apps, like Confide, or Signal (encrypted messaging apps) are banned.
Maybe this phone problem comes with the job, but we hope that no more confidential information is leaked. For more cyber security news, check back here for daily updates!