Barack Obama May Have to Give Up his BlackBerry

Barack Obama won the election, but he may lose something, too: his BlackBerry. The President-Elect is a heavy user of email on his smartphone, but that might not be allowed when he takes office, according to the NY Times.

As Chief Executive, Obama will have to follow the rigid rules set down in the Presidential Records Act. This law, which was passed in 1978, allows for public access to Presidential records through the Freedom of Information Act after the end of the Administration. The PRA also establishes procedures for Congress, courts, and subsequent Presidential administrations to obtain special access to these records.

This means it is necessary for these messages to be archived. There's also a requirement that all information that flows to and from the Oval Office be kept highly secure.

So far, this has kept Presidents from using email when they were in office. After years of exchanging messages with friends and relatives online, Pres. Bush has not sent an email since just before he took office in 2001.

Obama's aides are looking into the possibility of him keeping his BlackBerry to receive messages, but not send them. Experts say this is unlikely to be allowed, though.

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