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Saudi Says RIM Deal Reached; BlackBerry OK, If We Can Read the Messages
crimeandpunishment writes "There's a deal on the table to avert a ban on Blackberry's messenger service in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi regulatory official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press the deal involves placing a server in Saudi Arabia ... and letting the government monitor users' messages, easing Saudi concerns over security and criminal usage. The deal could have wide-ranging implications, given how many other countries have expressed similar concerns, or in the case of the United Arab Emirates, have threatened to block Blackberry email and messaging services." Perhaps the governments of UAE and India would be satisfied, too, if only they had access to the messages transmitted.
Guess they don't have any backbone to just drop the country and let the end-users take action.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
really, that's all that needs to be said.
fwiw, I have lost all respect for RIM and will not buy their products for my own personal use. they were on the high moral ground for a while but now that they've caved in, they are no different than the other 'carriers'.
their security is now rendered 'untrustable'. what a shame.
another one bites the dust.
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
I see how this solution would work for customers of Saudi mobile operators, whose phones would be pre-configured to use the 'local' BB server. What about travellers from other countries - would they have to go into their phone and manually re-configure it to contact the Saudi BB Server? Would that basically be the same steps as if you were setting up to use a corporate-owned BB Server? What if you already use a corporate BB Server? Will your messages be blocked? If the email account you are trying to check is your company email account, and the only way to access it is through the company-owned Enterprise BB Server, are you S.O.L.?
You give up certain rights when you travel to a foreign country.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
You do realize that the US gov't knows it could not do the same thing without getting a big uproar, but they can just get all of RIM's traffic routed through Saudi Arabia, right... Who am I kidding, the US ALREADY can view everybody's BlackBerry messages.
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
reached a virtual standstill when the maintainers told Saudi Arabia to "stick it".
This question has occurred before regarding the USA - some companies banned employees from taking email devices and laptops into the USA, to prevent border searches accessing confidential data, in the light of the new US security arrangements after the terrorist attacks of the last decade
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
Who am I kidding, the US ALREADY can view everybody's BlackBerry messages.
Any evidence of that?
I recall my company's legal team doing a search for any instance where intercepted, decrypted messages from a Blackberry Enterprise Server were used in court. The lawyers weren't able to find any cases.
Now, that doesn't prove anything, but it's a good indicator.
Plus, you can use S/MIME and PGP with blackberry for additional encryption.
Architecturally, it looks like this deal will affect only BIS users, the ones that just walk up to the Phones-r-us kiosk and buy a blackberry and service plan. It won't have any effect on corporate customers running BES servers, since those have their own keys, and devices talking to them won't be dealing with the BIS servers being set up in Saudi Arabia.
Thus, the customers most likely to complain, and make their complaints felt in the pocketbook, are unaffected, while the little people are ever more transparent.
People deserve the freedom they get. Have you read the comments on BBC's article.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10899338
Let me quite a few:
Abu Mohd, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
I am an expat living in Saudi Arabia. For me the Blackberry is key to staying in contact with my family and friends in a way that I cannot do with other messaging services. I hope Saudi Arabia and RIM solve this situation. There are many people that work here who are away from their families that use this service. This ban would be one more reason to not come here, it does not help to the development of this country.
Suresh Haridas, Al khobar, Saudi Arabia
BlackBerry made our life much easier, whether we are using e-mail, internet, or BBM. A lot of people/students such as myself who live thousands of miles away from their family and friends really depend on BBM as a convenient medium to communicate. There is nothing compared to BBM in terms of quickness, convenience, and cost. On the other hand, I understand why governments such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and others feel threatened. However, I am wondering why BlackBerry does not help these countries in terms of monitoring data and using their own servers to get to encrypted information.
Rakan H, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
I am one of the youths who owns a BlackBerry and I completely agree that it is a major step in my country to protect it against any terrorist or anything that might affect our security. Also I believe all countries like the US should consider the same thing, because it is a tool that can be used among those people who can get access to national security and cause terror to communities. It is a perfect tool for them, cutting it off worldwide will definitely reduce the amount of global issues occurring. If it is necessary to protect the country then why not!
Jim, Singapore
I am a Canadian, living in Dubai and dreading losing my Blackberry. Most people I know are aware of the high level of security in the UAE and appreciate the benefits it provides. I would much rather lose some personal freedoms than take a chance with security. RIM has to understand that Dubai is a transit point for trade and potentially terrorism. Its population is continuously changing as over 80% of its residents are foreigners. UAE's high level of security is in the interests of the West. I am hopeful for a positive resolution but am not brave enough to buy up all the handsets that are selling cheap.
Ara, Dubai, UAE
Whilst it's perfectly true that any invasion of personal privacy in the name of national security is usually resented, I don't really understand the sense of outrage on this one. After all, don't the western intelligence agencies have extensive gathering facilities for the same sort of thing? I don't see the Gulf states doing anything more than our own governments, like it or not.
Amazing, isn't it? You'd think that crime was completely out of control.
Even crime along the US/Mexican border has decreased for each of the last 5 years. From all the hollering in Arizona, you'd think that it was completely lawless, when in fact, crime rates are significantly down.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I have to agree with you here, even failed attacks cause mass hysteria. Just look at the security theater at airports in the US. (I can only speak for the country I live in.) With every failed attack, they tack on another ridiculous "security procedure" that does nothing but make us think that they're doing something useful. To make things worse, then the US requires airports abroad to have similar procedures and regulations to even be allowed within US airspace.
Though you didn't pose your question to me, I do not find that terrorism requires any competence. Terrorism is simply a desperate way to achieve a political goal. Because they do not have the resources that a government with a standing army has, they choose whatever method that they can get away with, and that's usually hijackings or suicide bombings. Even unsuccessful attacks cause enough of a panic within a general population to change government policy and disrupt everyday life.
Any idiot with homemade bombs can do this. 9/11, on the other hand, did require competence. The plot was hatched around 1996, though some of it was also luck because the FBI, CIA, and local law enforcement did not talk to each other. (I believe at least one of the would-be hijackers was pulled over before 9/11, for example.)
But would we feel any different about groups such as al-Qaeda if they were a real government and had a standing army, and sent battalions and regiments into battle ? Do we hate their tactics, or their goals?
Best "String" Ever!