Barack Obama vows to keep Blackberry despite hacking fears

Barack Obama is hanging onto his Blackberry, which is his main contact to the outside world Photo: AP

George W Bush was forced to give up email when he was sworn in as President in case hackers broke into his system and worries all documents would have to be kept as presidential records.

But Obama told CBNC he is struggling to keep the Blackberry so he can maintain contact with the outside world.

"They're going to pry it out of my hands," he said, "This is a concern, I should add, not just of Secret Service, but also lawyers."

Obama said keeping in touch by email was a way of escaping the trappings of power and staying in touch with the electorate.

"I've got to look for every opportunity to do that – ways that aren't scripted, ways that aren't controlled, ways where, you know, people aren't just complimenting you or standing up when you enter into a room, ways of staying grounded," he said.

During the interview, he described his frustration at being trapped in the White House bubble, citing examples from a recent holiday in Hawaii where he said he was discouraged from going bodysurfing.

He said his wife, Michelle, was amused at the hubbub over photographs showing him on the beach without wearing a shirt.

"It was silly, but, you know, silliness goes with this job," he said.

The President-elect also promised a substantial overhaul of US financial market regulations as a result of the global economic crisis and said he expected to unveil plans to fight home foreclosures in the next month or two.

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