UAE, Saudi Arabia threaten BlackBerry Services

Stephen Withers
Monday, 02 August 2010 10:04

Your IT - Mobility

Certain BlackBerry services are set to be banned in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with government officials citing security concerns.

While Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are joining the list of countries expressing security concerns about the BlackBerry works, it is the relative security of RIM's system that has them worried.

The UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has announced that BlackBerry users will be banned from using email, web browsing and instant messaging from October 11.

The problem appears to be that BlackBerry uses a combination of encryption and offshore servers, making it difficult for national authorities to monitor its use. Or as the TRA put it, "Certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns".

One outcome could be that RIM will put a server in the UAE and allow interception by the authorities.

State-owned mobile operator Etisalat last year distributed a so-called software upgrade to its BlackBerry users that actually spyware. RIM subsequently provides instructions for removing the offending software.

What about Saudi Arabia? See page 2.