BlackBerry Services To Be Halted In UAE

WrongSizeGlass writes "Bloomberg is reporting RIM's BlackBerry Messenger, e-mail and Web browsing services will be suspended in the United Arab Emirates, the Middle East's business hub, starting October 11th due to security concerns. RIM faces similar restrictions in India. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement on state-run Emirates News Agency, 'In their current form, certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE.' A senior Indian government official said, 'Though RIM has been fully cooperating ever since the matter was taken up with it in 2008, reports of the company's move to set up a server in China forced us to look at it in a different way.'"

Comments

Re:What are they afraid of?

[CharlyFoxtrot]

What are they afraid of, some guy might exchange Blackberry PINs with an unmarried woman?

Prince warns S. Arabia of apocalypse

'He warned that the Saudi royal family is no longer able to "impose" itself on people, arguing that deviations in carrying out the religious concepts that make up the basis of the Saudi government "have gotten out of our hands," so that the opposition views our acts as "interfering in people's private life and restricting their liberties."

"If we are wise, we must leave this country to its people, whose dislike for us is increasing," said Prince Turki, advising Saudi officials to escape with their families.'

Re:For those of you who don't speak bullshit

[h4rm0ny]

Amazing how an entire society seemingly hangs by the flimsy thread of a rogue blackberry user... Ban these dangerous devices like nuclear and biological weapons, for they will be the fall of society!

Weapons are a threat to people. Information is a threat to governments.