United Arab Emirates And Saudi Arabia Banning Blackberry Usage

from the can't-be-monitored dept

Mon, Aug 2nd 2010 4:00pm — Mike Masnick

Ash Crill alerts us to the news that the United Arab Emirates has announced plans to ban the use of Blackberries, and that Saudi Arabia has announced its intention to do the same. The issue is one we've seen before. The way the Blackberry works is all the data is encrypted and sent through RIM's servers. This pisses off governments who want to spy on the data. RIM, in the past, has noted that it has no way of spying on the email, even if some governments claim to have figured it out anyway (a claim that seems somewhat dubious as that same government later demanded RIM break the encrytpion again). It appears that a lot of folks in the UAE are quite upset about this -- especially as parts of the UAE (Dubai in particular) have spent the last decade plus trying to present themselves as an ideal place for foreign business activity.

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Filed Under: blackberry, email, monitoring, saudi arabia, united arab emirates
Companies: rim

13 Comments

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Mark Murphy (profile), 2 Aug 2010 @ 4:54pm

UAE Blackberry Spyware
Curiously, it has been almost exactly one year since news broke about a United Arab Emirates telco that remotely installed spyware on its customers' Blackberry devices.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2010 @ 7:03pm

So
anyhting you can use is being listened to no matter what your saying

i vote everyone talk completely dirty for 2 months
lots a PENIS and ANAL jokes too
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2010 @ 10:36pm

not ban per se, way to create a title of half truth and sensationalism, they are blocking texting, email and web, because the can't monitor it, IE read your texts and emails, see where you surfing
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Max, 2 Aug 2010 @ 11:21pm

Get an iPhone
all problems solved ;)
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ltlw0lf (profile), 2 Aug 2010 @ 11:29pm

Re:
Realize that the ban is on text, email, and web, but I think a follow on question is why would you purchase a Blackberry if you could only use it as a phone? After all, if you cannot text, email, or web from a smartphone, is it really a smartphone, and why would anyone spend the ridiculous prices (full disclosure: the only way you are going to get my crackberry is if you pry it from my cold, dead hands,) to by a Blackberry if they can only use it to make phone calls. I'm sure most of us would go back to using a free flip phone if all we could have was phone calls.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2010 @ 4:27am

Re: Get an iPhone
They can intercept your messages on an iPhone already.

By buying an iPhone you have just solved their problem - not your own!
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2010 @ 4:35am

The paradox of security
The same cryptography used to protect against evildoers also protects against governments -- because the math has no way of knowing if an attacker is an evildoer, the government, or an evildoer who has infiltrated the government.

By banning strong cryptography which can protect against a government, they are also banning the strong cryptography which can protect against criminals.
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imbrucy (profile), 3 Aug 2010 @ 7:10am

Re: The paradox of security
evildoer, the government, or an evildoer who has infiltrated the government

I detect some redundancy in that state.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 3 Aug 2010 @ 7:11am

Ideal Place for Foreign Business
Well, now we know that they want you to go do business there so that they can commit corporate espionage.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2010 @ 7:13am

Censorship will fail. Countries are just starting to realize the backlash of restricting information. Especially with international traffic and business.
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Rabbit80, 3 Aug 2010 @ 8:29am

Surely then they must ban all smartphones that connect to a companys email server.. Any admin worth their salt will ensure that their email servers are secure and that any mobile devices communicate over a secure connection!
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Locksmith (profile), 17 Aug 2010 @ 3:41am

India is also banning the Blackberry . This shows what countries are the ones spying on their citizens.
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Dee Larry, 25 Aug 2011 @ 6:14am

Sometimes it is SO difficult to know what�s going on in the middle east! Since I have family there I�m always eager to hear the arab news !
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