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Donald Trump: 'No computer is safe,' so use a courier instead

Commentary: Ringing in the New Year, the president-elect says that computers aren't to be trusted and that he'll reveal new details about Russian hacking.

Chris Matyszczyk
2 min read

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


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Donald Trump, explaining to reporters that he knows more than they do.

Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

A computer being hacked seems like a daily occurrence.

If it isn't a corporation supposedly safeguarding your personal details on the receiving end, it's a government entity.

Donald Trump has noticed. In remarks to reporters at his New Year's Eve party in Florida, reported by the Associated Press, the president-elect suggested an alternative means of communication.

"You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way. Because I'll tell you what: No computer is safe," he said.

Sadly, that last assertion does seem to be the case, although as yet no Russian hacker seems to have made incursions into Trump Organization computers in order to reveal The Donald's tax returns. Perhaps there's been little incentive.

Trump isn't very pro-computer. Some believe that a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) in July was the first time he used this modern technology.

Indeed, his New Year's Eve remarks echo his words to reporters earlier in the week when he suggested that computers confuse things more than enlighten.

"I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on," Trump said Wednesday, according to Reuters.

On New Year's Eve, however, the president-elect hinted that he knew more about what's going on than anyone else. About the alleged Russian hacking of the Democratic National Convention's computers, that is, which some believe influenced the election result.

Saying that accusing Russia is a "pretty serious charge," he added: "I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else."

Then he said, according to CBS News (which, like CNET, is owned by CBS), that he would be revealing new information about the hacking "on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Some breaths will no doubt be held. Could it be that there will be a stunning revelation that will have us all return to a courier habit, as the stock price of courier companies soars? Should aging bike messengers check the air in their tires?

Or could it be that by Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be new accusations, new revelations and new tweets that will make this tease be swiftly forgotten?