Which models do presidents and prime ministers prefer?
In light of the phone hacking scandals that have come to light, leaders around the world need to be sure that their mobile phones have more protection and security than a simple password.
With spy agencies around the world becoming increasingly... invasive, world leaders want to be sure that their own phones are completely immune to hackers and other "intruders," writes Uber Geek on the website wonderfulengineering.com.
A few years ago, the majority of the world's leaders and senior government executives and multinational companies chose Blackberry devices.
Now, the most significant market share is held by Apple, Samsung and LG.
See below some of the world's most important leaders and which "smart" phones they choose:
1. Barack Obama, USA
Despite the objections of the secret services, Barack Obama kept his beloved Blackberry. Of course, the "authorities" "enhanced" it with improved encryption systems. Only his family members and senior White House officials know his personal email account, while according to what he himself had stated to a group of young Americans, he is not allowed to have an iPhone for security reasons.
2. Kim Jong Un, North Korea
As the leader of a country that lacks access to technology products produced in other major countries and where only 2 million of the 25 million population use mobile phones, Kim Jong Un has faced suspicion due to the fact that he uses a mobile phone himself.
A photo of the North Korean leader at a national security meeting from January 2013 showed an HTC handset. According to South Korean media, Kim Jong-un likely uses it to communicate with family members and top government officials.
3. Francois Hollande, France
The French president doesn't go anywhere without his iPhone 5.
He was initially given a Teorem, which was highly secure and reinforced with encryption systems, but Hollande's predecessor, Sarkozy, found it difficult to use.
Of course, Hollande uses the iPhone only for personal use and to communicate with his beloved Julie Gayet via text messages.
4. Vladimir Putin, Russia
Vladimir Putin has stated that he does not have a mobile phone and prefers to stay informed the traditional way… through documents. A documentary about the Russian president showed his office, which contained several beige-colored phones, which one could describe as… outdated.
However, the country's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev shows a particular preference for Apple products, and was one of the first to hold the iPhone 4 in his hands, which Steve Jobs himself had given him before the model was officially released.
5. Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan
The three-time prime minister of Pakistan uses an iPhone and a Samsung. But those phones belong to members of his inner circle. His personal cell phone is an old Blackberry Bold. Sharif is a big fan of the company's messaging service and uses it to communicate with his family members and political opponents.
6. Angela Merkel, Germany
Merkel has two phones, one of which became particularly famous when… Edward Snowden’s revelations about the wiretapping by the American Security Agency (NSA) came to light.
The phone in question was a Nokia 6260 Slide, which the German chancellor used only to communicate with members of her party.
The second device Merkel has is a Blackberry Z10, which is enhanced with a special encryption chip from Secusmart, and is used for state affairs.
The company claims that its product is completely safe from hacker attacks.
7. Matteo Renzi, Italy
Matteo Renzi doesn't just own an iPhone, he's a big Apple fan.
In 2012, during his election campaign for the leadership of the center-left Democratic Party, he had made a special case with the inscription “Keep calm and rottama.” He promised party supporters that he would tear down (rottamare) the old leadership.
Source: newsbeast.gr
