14 DAY TRIAL // The United Arab Emirates' Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) considers BlackBerry to be in violation of the country's national security legislation, the BBC reports. The main issue seems to be the encryption used by the device and the fact that user data is sent to servers abroad.
Most countries have laws requiring mobile operators and Internet service providers to give authorities access to certain communications passing through their networks in order to help criminal investigation. Such data can usually be obtained if a judge issues a warrant for it.
However, unlike other devices, BlackBerry uses a secure communication protocol, which involves passing encrypted data to servers operated by Research in Motion (RIM), the company developing the device and software associated with it. This makes it impossible for local carriers to intercept and produce any data relevant to authorities.
"Currently, BlackBerry operates beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation, since it is the only device operating in the UAE that immediately exports its data offshore and is managed by a foreign, commercial organisation. As a result of how BlackBerry data is managed and stored, in their current form, certain BlackBerry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions. Like many other countries, we have been working for a long time to resolve these critical issues, with the objective of finding a solution that operates within the boundaries of UAE law,” a TRA statement, reads.
There are also past incidents which suggest that UAE authorities are willing to go even further than just expressing their disagreement with how BlackBerry operates. Last year, Etisalat, the biggest telecommunications provider in UAE, served spyware hidden as a system update to its 145,000 BlackBerry customers. The attempt was detected by some users and the incident saw international coverage.
But UAE is not the only country taking a issue with the device. Last year, several legislators in Canada, RIM's home country, introduced a bill that required service providers to make BlackBerry traffic easier to tap into.
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