Bahrain won’t ban any of BlackBerry’s services

August 09, 2010|Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain has no plans to follow its Persian Gulf neighbors in banning some BlackBerry services because security fears do not outweigh the technological benefits, its foreign minister said yesterday.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion faces opposition in several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to its encrypted e-mail and messenger services.

Bahrain’s Sheik Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said the device raises concerns, but banning some features is not called for. “We’re not saying there is no security concern,’’ he said. But, he added, “There are many other ways for the criminals or terrorists to communicate, so we decided we might as well live with it.’’

RIM is negotiating with Saudi authorities to avoid a ban, while the United Arab Emirates is planning a sweeping crackdown on BlackBerry data services, starting in October.

Both countries cite security concerns. Critics contend the countries, which maintain tight controls on the news media, are also motivated by a desire to monitor users’ speech and political activity.

Late Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it was giving mobile operators 48 hours to finalize a compromise to allow BlackBerry messaging to continue. A deal might allow the government some access to users’ data and involve placing a BlackBerry server inside Saudi Arabia.

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