The security of a country's leader is of the utmost importance. However, in this day and age of digital media, the same level of security is granted to smartphones and tablets belonging to those leaders.
However, recent reports suggest that the U.S. President himself could be using an insecure phone bought from the shelves of a store.
Two Democratic senators namely Claire McCaskill and Tom Carper, working in the country's security committee has reportedly questioned President Trump whether he is using a secured smartphone.
Reports mention that the President has been provided a secured device for personal use, but he may still be using an unsecured connection which could pose serious national threat.
Both Democratic senators have now brought the issue to the attention of the Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis through a letter.
I look forward to hearing from @DeptofDefense about the protective measures being taken for President Trump’s use of a personal smartphone pic.twitter.com/47cZeSn1bw
— Senator Tom Carper (@SenatorCarper) 13 February 2017
Content Of The Letter
Several public reports initially suggested that the President got a secured and encrypted smartphone, approved by the U.S. secret service and had started using the same prior to joining office.
Later reports, however, indicate that the President may still be using his personal smartphone, an alleged Samsung device, which is quite unsecure. Trump may be posting tweets through the same device, which is susceptible to hackers. Moreover, the senators added that if the Presidential records, such as the tweets are made through a personal device then it would be difficult to properly record them.
McCaskill and Carper also stated that these reports were quite disturbing, as hackers have got several means of targeting an unsecured phone. Even though users feel assured that their device is safe, hackers tend to find pathways to exploit vulnerable and sensitive data.
As evidenced by the reports, the letter highlighted that this was an issue related to national security and so an unsecured handset should not be used by the President.
The letter also goes on to explain that security measures should be imposed on the President's phone to ensure that the Presidential records are preserved.
More Security Issues
In January, the senators delivered a letter to Donald McGahn, the White House Counsel, questioning the security issues related to the Trump's staff's social activities. They enquired whether the members of Trump's administration were using personal e-mail accounts for official business, which is restricted by federal law.
Secretary Mattis has not responded to the letter yet but, a response is expected soon which may clear up this matter once and for all.
Photo:Gage Skidmore | Flickr
