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By Mark Henricks
The Saudi Arabian telecom ministry’s announcement that it would suspend BlackBerry service is just the latest development in an escalating tussle between Research In Motion and security-minded governments in the Middle East and South Asia. The brouhaha raises questions about whether and how technology professionals can support BlackBerry users in the Persian Gulf and nearby regions, as well as for the future of secure telecommunications in that part of the globe.
Saudi’s Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) declared Friday that RIM’s BlackBerry service doesn’t meet current regulations, as reported by Al-Jazeera and other organizations. The problem seems to be that government censors and investigators are unable to read BlackBerry messages sent and received by Saudi citizens.
RIM has said it doesn’t have any master key or know of any backdoor that would permit anyone other than the sender or recipient of a message to read the messages. The system for enterprise customers uses a symmetric key possessed only by customers, the company said.
The Saudi crisis has been brewing for some time. Last year, the Saudi telecom commission told three mobile service providers they’d have to get the BlackBerry service in compliance with regulations. The CITC gave Saudi Telecom Co., Mobily and Zain Saudi Arabia a three-month grace period that was due to end Aug. 7.
RIM has also gotten crosswise with governments in India, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. UAE authorities in July arrested a teenager who allegedly tried to organize a protest against gasoline prices, according to Reporters Without Borders.
In addition, the UAE reportedly said it would suspend BlackBerry messaging, texting and Web browsing starting Oct. 11. It had been working with RIM to resolve security concerns but was unsuccessful, according to an August report by Reporters Without Borders.
Also in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain in April announced a ban on using a BlackBerry chat application to share local news. The issue in this case appeared to be a desire to block unauthorized news reports that had been distributed to online subscribers via Blackberry chat. The move extends the Bahrain government’s electronic censorship beyond blocking Web sites to trying to rein in other information services.
In a press briefing, U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley deplored the UAE move. “We’re disappointed at the announcement,” Crowley said. “We are committed to promoting the free flow of information. We think it’s innovative. It’s integral to an innovative economy and we will be clarifying with the UAE their reasons for making this announcement.” Crowley compared the restriction of electronic communications by U.S. allies such as the UAE and the Saudis to censorship efforts by Iran and China.
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