UAE cracksdown on BlackBerry services

Posted on 02. Aug, 2010 by admin in Business

UAE– The United Arab Emirates has come out with the idea of banning email, messaging as well as web browsing services on BlackBerry. This comes as a crackdown on the makers of the handset who’d foreseen the country as a potential hub for international business. 

The reason for the ban on BlackBerry services – government citing security threat to the country; as because the encrypted data/messages sent through the devices cannot be monitored and/or tracked for illegitimate things. 

The ban on the BlackBerry services also sends negative signals to the rest of the world that the countries (especially the conservative Gulf) are exercising control on what they ought not to. 

Considering the huge following BlackBerry phones have in this part of the world (they are also seen as a means to avoid government attention), especially foreign nationals who’d visit the business regions such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it is not know how the ban on BlackBerry will be taken. 

While government authorities believe that the BlackBerry phones could be used by illicit elements including terrorists, it should be noted that these are effective communication tools/devices for social activists and campaigners. 

The crackdown means come October, hundreds of thousands of the users of the BlackBerry phone cannot access e-mail and/or do web browsing from the handsets. 

It is not clear if the ban is applicable to foreign nationals who’d visit this part of the world with the roaming services. As many 100,000 passengers a day go via the International airport in Dubai. Critics believe that the BlackBerry ban could also hurt the business interest among non residents to invest in UAE.

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