Posts Tagged ‘BlackBerry’
February 22nd, 2011
Last week the Indian government ordered telecom operators to
suspend all mobile messaging services that cannot be monitored by law enforcement agencies, citing national security reasons. The government had given Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry’s Canadian manufacturer, until 31 January to provide it with access to encrypted data on BlackBerry Enterprise Server. RIM says it is unable to do so as it does not hold the keys to the encrypted data. Last year RIM had
provided the government with the ability to monitor some of its other services including BlackBerry Messenger and email.
October 27th, 2010
Research in Motion (RIM) faces a ban of BlackBerry data services in Turkey if it doesn’t obey
new legislation requiring companies to hand over communication encryption keys to Information and Communication Technologies Authority.
The new regulations aim at fighting terrorism and strive to make it possible for the country’s national security agency to tap into any suspect communications.
Blackberry smartphones are preferred by many, as they are the only smartphones which use an encrypted e-mail system, offering the secure communication.
October 13th, 2010
A UAE regulator has
withdrawn its threat to suspend BlackBerrys mobile communication services. In August, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
said it would ban BlackBerry’s messenger, e-mail and web-browser services on October 11. It claimed BlackBerry’s use of internal encrypted networks raised national security concerns. Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian maker of BlackBerry entered negotiations and the regulator has now determined that Blackberry has become
“compliant” with UAE law. RIM has refused to specify any of their concessions. They are thought to have granted some access to communications passed between devices to the government. The authorities in
India, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Lebanon have expressed similar reservations.
September 2nd, 2010
Smartphone message monitoring may be necessary for governments, but it should not turn to mere snooping, says Salil Tripathi
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August 12th, 2010
The Indian government has told RIM, the Canadian manufaturers of BlackBerry mobile phones to either provide access to encryption or
face a ban from 31 August onwards. The Indian government says the BES and messenger services pose a grave security concern.
India has one of the largest growing markets for BlackBerry users.
August 3rd, 2010
Kuwait has asked BlackBerry’s Canadian maker RIM to
block pornographic sites though they will not
suspend the messenger services like their Gulf neighbours.
RIM have agreed to block 3,000 porn sites and have promised to do so by the end of this year.
August 3rd, 2010
The leaders of the Emirates are nervous of an Iranian-style uprising, says Christopher Davidson
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July 26th, 2010
BlackBerrys could be
banned or monitored in the UAE after officials announced on 26 July, that they do not conform with national laws. The region’s
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said that “BlackBerry operates beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation” and warned that its misuse could cause “serious social, judicial and national security repercussions.” The Blackberry smart phone, developed by
Research in Motion, was released prior to the enactment of safety emergency and national security legislation in 2007.
Particular concern relates to the use of internal encrypted networks for email and instant message services, making it difficult for the authorities to track. In 2009, the government was subjected to widespread criticism after encouraging Blackberry customers to download an “upgrade”, which
transpired to be surveillance software enabling officials to read and store user’s emails.
