Ever since James Buchanan sent the first presidential transatlantic telegraph in 1858, American presidents have needed to walk the thin line between embracing new tech and ensuring that their devices don’t cause security breaches. Cybersecurity is obviously a big deal at the White House because hackers and cybercriminals are always looking for ways to steal important government information. The White House uses high-tech security systems and hires experts to protect its computers and networks. These security measures help make sure that sensitive data stays out of the wrong hands.
Given the amount of data that most of us produce whenever we use our phones, laptops, or even our fridges, the President’s gadgets have to be secure against hackers and spy agencies. If left unsecured, the President’s phone could work like a tracking device. Inbuilt encryption and privacy measures only go so far. The National Security Agency (NSA) has spent many hours ensuring that presidential tech is kept as secure as possible.
There’s also the issue that presidents don’t actually own their own data. While confidential information needs to be kept out of the wrong hands, it does need to be saved. The Presidential Records Act of 1978 means that presidential records belong to the U.S. government and must be preserved by the National Archives. It applies to digital records, including emails, texts, social media, and encrypted apps. Securing and archiving presidential records is an ongoing challenge.
Abraham Lincoln geeked out over the telegraph
Abraham Lincoln was something of a tech enthusiast, and he’d be considered a geek today. He’s the only U.S. president to hold a patent, after all. William H. Herndon, Lincoln’s law partner and biographer, wrote that Lincoln “evinced a decided bent toward machinery or mechanical appliances.” He was fascinated by the telegraph, which was basically the first form of instant electronic messaging. So, it’s not surprising that Lincoln was quick to embrace this new technology when he could see the advantages it would bring to military communications.
Before the Civil War, telegraphs were mostly used by stockbrokers. If a federal employee in Washington needed to send a telegram, they would need to do it at the central telegraph office, along with everyone else. However, this was a security nightmare for military communications, so in 1862, the United States War Department set up a dedicated telegraph office in the War Department building next to the White House. The United States Military Telegraph Office was run by regular civilians rather than military personnel. In order to increase security, some managers were appointed commissioned officers in the army.
During the Civil War, Lincoln could quickly communicate with troops on the field. The U.S. Military Telegraph Corps laid telegraph wires across more than 15,000 miles so news could be sent almost instantly from telegraph operators in makeshift tent offices on the front line. These messages were encrypted using specially devised code systems in case they were intercepted. Although Lincoln didn’t operate the machines himself, he would read and dictate dispatches in real time. He developed a close relationship with the telegraph operators and spent hours at the telegraph analyzing incoming reports. Sometimes, he even slept there.
Presidential telephones needed dedicated lines
The first telephone was installed in the White House in 1879 during Rutherford B. Hayes’s administration. According to a newspaper report at the time, Hayes was very impressed with the technology. The White House phone wasn’t used much because so few other people had telephones back then. When it was first installed, it was only connected to the Treasury Department. The original White House telephone number was 1.
For the first 50 years, the White House telephone was situated in the hallway. In 1929, Herbert Hoover became the first U.S. President to have a phone in the Oval Office, on which he could make private calls. Under Hoover’s administration, the telephone had become a standard part of presidential communications. However, he still has reservations about the phone. He banned dial phones as these were considered not secure enough. In an address to the Gridiron club in 1931, Hoover said, “There is no noise in the world so fills one’s heart with alarm and foreboding as the telephone bell.”
Telephone connections in the early 20th century typically operated on shared infrastructure managed by public telephone companies. In shared networks, many users’ calls were routed over the same physical lines and switchboards. To ensure more secure phone lines, the White House set up its own switchboard manned by operators. Dedicated lines ensured the circuit was reserved solely for official use. The White House still maintains a manned switchboard, although it uses more advanced tech than during Hoover’s administration.
Many presidents left the tech to their IT staff
Personal Computers have been used in the White House since 1978 when Jimmy Carter installed a Hewlett Packard 3000 in the West Wing. During Reagan’s administration, computer use became widespread in the White House. However, it doesn’t seem like Reagan himself was personally interested in using the tech, leaving it to the White House’s IT team to take care of things.
These early computers didn’t connect to the internet, so security was less of an issue than it is today. Nevertheless, they still required basic security measures like passwords to protect sensitive information. The systems were largely protected by their physical isolation and the fact that they were not part of a broader, interconnected network. Nonetheless, risks such as insider errors, physical breaches, and the limitations of early operating systems did exist.
Reagan did contribute to tech security at the White House by signing the Computer Security Act of 1987, requiring government agencies to develop security plans for their computer systems. This led to the creation of The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which improved government cybersecurity practices. Although the White House staff used computers — and the White House even launched its own website in 1994 — George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush were not hands-on gadget users in the ’90s and ’00s. Of the three, Clinton was the only one to use email, and he only sent two while in office. It wasn’t until Barack Obama became president that personal tech became an issue for the NSA.
Barack Obama clung onto his Blackberry
Barack Obama was famously the first president to carry on using his personal cellphone when he became president in 2009. Obama convinced his advisors to let him keep his beloved Blackberry. “I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” he said in an interview with CNBC when he was still President-elect. “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.” In order to avoid his phone being a security nightmare, Obama reached a compromise with the NSA and used a modified version of the BlackBerry Curve 8900. It had enhanced encryption, which meant he could only use it with a small group of people. Retired NSA technical director Richard George gave an interview with CNNMoney in 2014, saying, “At the time, there were only about ten phones that the president could contact directly on his device, but that didn’t make the technology simple to develop. Both phones would either need to have the same encryption algorithms or use a gateway that would decrypt and encrypt the communications.”
The highly secure, military-grade phone that Obama used didn’t have a microphone, camera, or location tracker and couldn’t make or receive calls. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Obama said, “I get the thing, and they’re all like, ‘Well, Mr. President, for security reasons … it doesn’t take pictures, you can’t text, the phone doesn’t work … you can’t play your music on it. Basically, it’s like, does your 3-year-old have one of those play phones?”
President Obama used a modified iPad and numerous other phones while in office, including several modified Motorola A840s. These, along with his Blackberries, are now on display at the National Cryptologic Museum, although the NSA has removed all the security modifications.
Joe Biden’s Internet of Things caused a security headache
Joe Biden had several gadgets that caused headaches for White House tech advisers. Before he became president, he was a regular user of a Peloton exercise bike with features like a touchscreen, built-in camera, and microphone. There was a lot of press speculation about whether he would be allowed to continue using it after his inauguration. Press information went quiet after the initial flurry, and it’s unknown whether he had to trade the Peloton in for a different, less internet-enabled model or whether he kept the bike with security modifications.
One gadget he definitely did hang onto after his inauguration was his Apple Watch, which he was photographed wearing several times during his presidency, including in the Oval Office. Apple Watches cause security problems for all the same reasons that smartphones do. An Apple watch collects all kinds of data about its wearer, including biometric information and GPS location. The watch includes a microphone, so there’s a risk of hackers activating it remotely and eavesdropping on sensitive information. For this reason, devices like Apple watches are banned in high-security locations. Because of the inherent risks, Biden’s smartwatch and cell phone were, like Obama’s devices, made more secure, most likely causing them to lose much of the functionality that makes them popular with users in the first place.
Donald Trump uses an iPhone for social media
President Donald Trump is famous for his prolific use of X (formerly Twitter), posting thousands of times during his first administration. Despite being banned from the platform for most of 2021 and 2022, he’s now back to regular posting. During his first term, Trump used multiple cellphones and resisted security measures proposed by staff, according to administration officials. He primarily used two iPhones — one for calls and another strictly for accessing X and preloaded news sites. His call-capable phone included a camera and microphone (unlike Obama-era devices), and White House officials insisted the devices were regularly updated and secure, although Trump resisted this, saying it was too inconvenient. A West Wing official told digital newspaper Politico in 2018, “Due to inherent capabilities and advancement in technologies, these devices are more secure than any Obama-era devices.”
Before the 2024 election, military equipment supplier Green Hills Software supplied Trump’s team with what it described as highly secure, hack-proof phones and computers. The company claimed that its software was completely resistant to any form of cyber intrusion.
Since taking office in January, Trump has been seen using his iPhone. His phone screen was photographed on the day of his inauguration, prompting a spate of media coverage about the picture of himself that he appears to have set as his phone wallpaper. As of this writing, we don’t know whether any special security measures have been added to the device or if the president’s gadgets are causing nightmares for the NSA.
