Cuomo Defends BlackBerry to BlackBerry Use In An Effort to Avoid Prying Eyes
On Monday, we told you how New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo refuses to communicate with his staff by email.
Yesterday, Governor Cuomo defended his practice of communicating with his aides largely through untraceable BlackBerry messages, suggesting he was concerned that hackers could intercept his correspondence.
Mr. Cuomo, speaking to reporters during an appearance at a company in Utica, said there was nothing wrong with his office’s wariness about leaving a paper trail.
“This government, like anyone in any community, this company, uses a number of different electronic devices to communicate,” he said.
“I was in the attorney general’s office,” he added. “Hacking is a problem, and if you have a secure communication or confidential communication or information that you don’t want disseminated, then you have to find a secure means to communicate it.”
Mr. Cuomo does not use e-mail. Instead, he frequently communicates with his aides using messages sent from BlackBerry to BlackBerry – which are not retained in any way. Staff members also clear out their e-mail on a regular basis so their correspondence cannot be obtained under the Freedom of Information Law.
Mr. Cuomo said, contrary to the criticism of his office, his administration had actually done more than its predecessors to preserve a record of its dealings. For example, he cited guidelines on retaining certain types of documents – although not e-mail, in most cases – that his office put in place this month.
“We have the first policy of any state administration this early, on exactly what should be retained and how, basically for archives,” Mr. Cuomo said. “So we have an aggressive policy that is in place.”
Source: NY Times
