Ars Technica reports that after recent media reports of "increased use" by the President of his unsecured cell phone, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-California) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) sent a letter to the White House Communications Agency, the Secret Service, and for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence about presidential phone usage. Last year, Ars Technica reported that Donald Trump surrendered his personal Android phone "after expressing outrage over the DNC's failure to let the FBI search its servers and taunting Arnold Schwarzenegger on March 5." Based on Twitter metadata, replaced it with an iPhone, reportedly with only one app, Twitter. It is unclear, however, if Trump's phone has any encryption or security features. So the legislators are worried that Trump's loose thumbs could betray national secrets. "Our national security should not depend on whether the President clicks on a malicious link on Twitter or his text application, or the fortuity of foreign agencies not knowing his personal cell number." They also have specific questions:
• How frequently does the WHCA update the President’s phone’s operating system?
• Does the President use encryption when he makes phone calls or texts from his personal cell phone?
• How has WHCA adapted to the growing threat of "Stingray" devices, or IMSI catchers, in Washington D.C., especially given the President’s alleged proclivity for making outgoing voice calls on his personal cell phone?
Neither the WHCA, the Secret Service, nor the ODNI would comment on the letter from Lieu and Gallego.