The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
Donald Trump is still using his unsecured Android phone, despite hacking risks
The Secret Service issued the President with an encrypted device last week, but he appears to have held onto his personal handset
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The President is still tweeting from his old, unsecured Android smartphone, despite fears it could be hacked.
Ahead of his inauguration last week, the Secret Service issued Donald Trump with a secure, encrypted device, but he appears to have kept hold of his personal handset.
The President has been using his own Android smartphone to tweet while watching TV shows in the White House, despite the “protests of some of his aides”, according to a report in the New York Times.
Trump’s personal handset is believed to be a Samsung Galaxy device.
He therefore has the option to protect it using Samsung’s Knox technology, which is approved for "sensitive but unclassified use" by the US Department of Defense, but the decision to keep using it at all is inviting trouble.
Security has long been an issue for the Android operating system, and if a hacker was to break into Trump’s phone, they could potentially access classified files and listen in on meetings by hijacking its microphone or camera.
When Obama first entered office in 2009, he campaigned to keep his BlackBerry, despite security warnings from the Secret Service. He eventually got his way, but had to settle for a heavily modified handset with limited functionality.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last summer, Obama described the handset he was using at the time, saying that his handlers told him the phone was “state of the art, but it doesn’t take pictures, you can’t text, the phone doesn’t work, and you can’t play your music on it
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments