Over the weekend the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made the surprising announcement that it was to suspend Research In Motion’s BlackBerry messenger, email and web browser services from October 11 until the government could get access to encrypted messages.
US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley: "We think it sets a dangerous precedent."
The move, expected to affect half a million users, comes after the government there last week said certain BlackBerry applications allowed people to “misuse” the service. Saudi Arabia has followed the UAE’s lead by announcing that it will soon bar the use of the BlackBerry instant messaging service as well. Both countries are understood to be concerned that they are unable to keep tabs on instant messaging.
Reaction ot the move has started to filter through though with US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley saying, “We think it sets a dangerous precedent. You should be opening up societies to these new technologies that have the opportunity to empower people rather than looking to see how you can restrict certain technologies.”
In a Reuters report Crowley added that the US is “committed to promoting the free flow of information” and that allowing services such as BlackBerry Messenger to continue is, “an important element of democracy, human rights and freedom of information and the flow of information in the 21st century”.
Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE Ambassador to the United States, however said Crowley’s comments were disappointing and contradict the US government’s own approach to telecommunication regulation.
“In fact, the UAE is exercising its sovereign right and is asking for exactly the same regulatory compliance – and with the same principles of judicial and regulatory oversight – that Blackberry grants the U.S. and other governments and nothing more,” Otaiba said.
“Importantly, the UAE requires the same compliance as the U.S. for the very same reasons: to protect national security and to assist in law enforcement,” he said. “It is regrettable that after several years of discussions, BlackBerry is still not compliant with UAE regulatory requirements even as it complies with similar policies in other countries.”
The countdown to 11 October starts now then, though some form of compromise should appear before then. Unfortunately that may simply mean half a million UAE residents getting a different smartphone.