US President Donald Trump’s phone has become a matter of national security, as expressed by two US senators in a letter to US Department of Defense Secretary James Mattis.
“While it is important for the President to have the ability to communicate electronically, it is equally important that he does so in a manner that is secure and that ensures the preservation of presidential records,” the letter reads.
Democrat lawmakers Tom Carper from Delaware and Claire McCaskill from Missouri are part of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
As Trump is not willing to trade his old, unsecured personal Android smartphone for a “secure, encrypted device approved by the U.S. Secret Service,” the senators are concerned the phone could be infected with malicious software to gain access to presidential records.
Once attackers take over the smartphone, they can “turn on audio recording and camera features as well as engaging surveillance tools that allow location and other information tracking features.”
Moreover, as Trump uses the same phone for his official social media communication and considering his policy of denying and deleting tweets, Carper and McCaskill have also requested information on whether the Defense Information Systems Agency and the National Archives and Records Administration make sure “all security measures allow for the preservation of any presidential records.”
