14 DAY TRIAL // Hackers have broken into the official BlackBerry blog and warned RIM against assisting the UK police in their attempt to contain the ongoing London riots.
The BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service is believed to be the main method of communication used by teenagers involved in the recent riots.
BBM is free to use and allows sending messages to entire lists of contacts making it the perfect tool to organize riots in the absence of a computer.
This is further supported by the fact that according to statistics, 37% of British teenagers own BlackBerry devices and most of them use them for texting.
As a response to reports, BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) released a statement saying that it is ready to assist the Metropolitan Police investigation and is considering a BBM curfew to prevent rioters from using the service to organize.
In response, hackers from TeaMp0ison have hacked into the official BlackBerry blog and left a threatening message for the company asking it not to intervene.
"You Will _NOT_ assist the UK Police because if u do innocent members of the public who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and owned a blackberry will get charged for no reason at all, the Police are looking to arrest as many people as possible to save themselves from embarrassment..." the hackers wrote.
The personal information of RIM employees is being used as leverage. "We have access to your database which includes your employees information; e.g - Addresses, Names, Phone Numbers etc. - now if u assist the police, we _WILL_ make this information public and pass it onto rioters," the attackers warn.
The hackers note that they don't condone innocent people being hurt and businesses being looted, but they do support the violent actions against the police. TeaMp0ison is a group known to act with political motives.