Maybe the White House’s conversations are open for listening. Donald Trump’s iPhone isn’t nearly as locked down as it should be, according to the New York Times. While there are three units in a rotation for the President of the United States, he’s using the unsecured one. It’s where his tweets are composed and sent out for the world to dissect.
Aside from tweeting, this unsecured iPhone has been used for communication with top-ranking officials, aides, and personal friends.
The report suggests that the Chinese and the Russian governments are dropping in on his activity. It turns out these foreign powers can intercept what Trump does using wireless networks. From anywhere, these spies are gaining insight and potentially using it to mold the administration’s platform.
Already, the Chinese government denied any potential wrongdoing. Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China, said the following:
“Seeing this report, I feel there are those in America who are working all-out to win the Oscar for best screenplay.”
She then instructed Trump to switch from his iPhone to something made by Huawei. Coincidentally, the Shenzhen-based company’s in a battle with Apple as the second-best smartphone brand in terms of worldwide shipments.
Trump can’t switch to any of Huawei’s smartphones, however. The U.S. government doesn’t use the company’s products and services over national security concerns. It would appear as if the Chinese government pulled off a global trolling effort with this one.
Either President Trump will continue using an allegedly unsecured iPhone or he’ll embrace government-approved hardware.
So far, China’s reportedly created a list of people who Trump talks to regularly. These people might be targeted by the Chinese government in an effort to push him toward specific ideas on domestic and international policy.
The U.S. and China are in a trade war at the moment. If the Chinese government gathers enough intel on how Trump thinks, it could persuade him in its favor.
In response to it all, Trump sent out this tweet:
The so-called experts on Trump over at the New York Times wrote a long and boring article on my cellphone usage that is so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it. I only use Government Phones, and have only one seldom used government cell phone. Story is soooo wrong!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2018
He then reminded more than 55 million Twitter followers that he rarely uses a smartphone. When Trump does, it’s “government authorized” or “Hard Lines.” The President tweets often, though. So it’s hard to imagine that Trump’s never touching a smartphone that has Twitter installed.
In fact, both tweets relating this the report were done from an iOS device.
Still, it’s strange that Trump can’t use any iPhone. Apple doesn’t allow for any system-level customization. iOS is also much more secure than Google’s Android, anyway. The limitations might include no calls or texts. Instead, the secured iPhone units could have access to a specific email address only.
Assuming the report’s accurate, let’s hope Trump listens to advisors and aides soon. If the Chinese and the Russian governments are indeed eavesdropping, something very bad for the nation could be on the horizon.
