A new controversial ban on messaging using blackberry devices is to go into effect in the United Arab Emirates. There are also plans for similar bans in Saudi Arabia and possibly India. The reasons behind the ban are that the emails and other messages on this device won’t be easy to monitor, and the UAE claims that this makes it a risk for national security. The main problem seems to be with how the makers of the Blackberry handle data; Research in Motion (RIM) encrypts its data and it is all routed via Canada. This means that the authorities in the UAE and elsewhere can’t monitor it and would be dependent on RIM for information.
This ban has caused a bit of controversy around the tech world with some people seeing it as understandable while other are vehemently opposed. Those who are more in favour of it claim that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are very sensitive parts of the world and there is a huge risk of terrorism in these places. Governments there are viewed as needing to keep an eye on what people are up to if they are to stop a major attack occurring on their soil, or to stop their counties been used as a base for attacks elsewhere. Others would claim that the ban is just an attempt to keep people down, and that terrorism prevention is just a handy excuse. Some governments feel the need to really control the information that their citizens have access to.
I always feel that it is a shame when people are denied access to technology by their governments; it always seems a bit sinister to me. I would be up in arms if the UK government were to consider such a move; just as well I don’t live in the UAE.
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