NSA Suggested Clinton Use A $4,750 Windows CE PDA (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader writes from an article on Ars Technica: When former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was pushing to get a waiver allowing her to use a BlackBerry like President Barack Obama back in 2009, the National Security Agency had a very short list of devices approved for classified communications. The General Dynamics' Sectera Edge and L3 Communications' Guardian were the two devices built for the Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device (SME PED) program. They were the only devices anyone in government without an explicit security waver (like the one the president got, along with his souped-up BlackBerry 8830) could use until as recently as last year to get mobile access to top secret encrypted calls and secure e-mail. At the time Clinton was asking for a phone, only the Sectera Edge was available (the Guardian was running behind in development) and it required multiple server-side and phone-side e-mail additions, desktop synchronization software, and other supporting products. The "Executive Kit" version of the Edge, priced for government purchase at $4,750, included: Type 1 Sectera Edge (GSM or CDMA) device plus: Executive Carry Case, Leather Holster Travel Charger, Red/Black USB Cables, Vehicle Charger, Earbud, Stylus 10-pack, microSD Card with User Manual, Spare Battery, Privacy Shield 4-pack, Antivirus Software, Apriva Email Client and Perpetual Rights fee and Office Suite for Windows CE.

Comments

Re:So, Fuck You , Then

[rsborg]

Yeah, pretty much. Couldn't she have escalated to Obama, though?

"Hi Barak, can you tell me how you got your BB? Cause the NSA is making me WinCE"

I'm no fan of Clinton, but

[barc0001]

This totally sounds like the NSA's IT people were just being dicks for the sake of being dicks, and like in many companies, when a C level exec gets screwed around by red tape they step around it. I mean FFS, they have "too many Blackberries" to manage but the POTUS gets one and the Secretary of State does not?

Re:Cry me a river, bitch.

[Anonymous Coward]

Except that it didn't get anyone killed. Is that really a right wing talking point about her? What is that based on? Face it, she didn't commit a crime, she's not under any risk of going to jail or even being indicted.

I've had to say no to plenty of Execs that then went to the owner/CEO to get the position reversed. I have them sign a waver and then proceed as they wish.

If it was okay for Obama I don't know how it wouldn't be okay for Clinton. It sounds like they weren't going to make it easy for her so she took matters into her own hands. This is very common and why I always struggle to make IT seen as helpful instead of a hindrance.

I know this phone

[Verdatum]

I worked in mobile telecom in 2009, I wrote code for Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs). We purchased that Windows Phone to verify that our equipment properly handled everything needed to allow all the protocols to work as required. The phone was just horrible. It was extremely unfriendly to use, it devoured batteries, and it had effectively zero application development going on for it. I seem to recall the hardware aspects of it were at least pretty sturdy.

Re:So, Fuck You , Then

[rsborg]

She had her personal server already set up before this whole thing with the NSA.

The personal email server was clearly about avoiding FOIA requests and not a reaction to the NSA refusing to give her an expensive device.

I'd post links in support of my claims, but last time I posted about Hillary and email with lots of references, I got moderated Troll. So I'll just post it anonymously without references.

I have as well and not only on this forum. But why not post refs even if you're anon?

Re:Of course!

[guruevi]

The toilet seat is a quote from a movie (Independence Day?) where the president becomes aware of a secret base (at Area 51 or something) and asks how they manage to keep it invisible to the presidents office and government budgets. The $5000 toilet seat is the answer.