RIM won't bow to UAE on looming BlackBerry ban

In this Feb. 18, 2010 photo, a BlackBerry Storm2
smartphone is displayed at the Mobile World congress in Barcelona,
Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)Research In Motion will not compromise the security of its BlackBerry
smartphones to avoid a looming ban on some services in the United Arab
Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the company said Monday.

The Ontario-based company said in a statement it is committed to
producing secure devices that satisfy the needs of both customers and
governments, but would not comment on negotiations with the two
governments.

The UAE announced on Sunday it would block BlackBerry email,
messaging and web browsing services starting Oct. 11, unless the company
allows government to access encrypted messages.

Telecommunication officials in Saudi Arabia have also said they
intend to bar BlackBerry messaging, but allow the phones' other
services.

There are roughly 500,000 BlackBerry subscribers in the UAE, according to the nation's telecommunications authority.

The embargo would apply to visitors as well as residents, putting
BlackBerry out of service for thousands of business travellers and
others heading to Dubai, the Middle-East's business capital.

The dispute centres on the way BlackBerry handles data, which is
encrypted and managed through RIM's overseas servers, where it can't be
screened for illegal activity.

Critics say the ban aims to help conservative governments keep tabs on communications they might object to.

The encryption technology is among the features that have made the BlackBerry so popular in the business community.

It's not the first time the UAE has tried to crack BlackBerry security.

Last year, the state-owned mobile operator Etisalat told its
BlackBerry users to install software described as a service upgrade,
later revealed to install spy software that could tap into private
information stored in the phones.

RIM strongly criticized Etisalat's move and instructed users to remove the software.

With files from The Associated Press

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