To Ban by Gulf Countries:
BlackBerry Messaging Services
Today, information is considered as one of the basic needs of people. It is evidenced by the consistent increase in the number of users of the internet, or the web for information accumulation and dissemination. The use of internet for information goes to show that this is already became part of our existence because it is more accurate, accessible and real-time delivery of information posted on the web.
No wonder the prevalence of different gadgets and electronics have increased through the years. Information war will be more and more apparent in the coming years. Regulating information dissemination in companies, organizations, schools will be more exigent --- different countries as well.
There is a recent regulation made by some of the countries regulating the information accumulation and dissemination in their territorial jurisdiction such as United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, India and UAE, particularly announced that they will ban e-mail, web browsing and messaging for the BlackBerry Smartphone.
BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) since 1996. BlackBerry functions as a Personal Digital Assistant with address book, calendar and to-do list capabilities. It also functions as a portable media player with support for music and video playback and camera picture and video capabilities. BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive Internet e-mail wherever mobile network service coverage is present, or through Wi-Fi connectivity. BlackBerry is mainly a messaging phone with the largest array of messaging features in a Smartphone today.
The preceding paragraph features what makes BlackBerry as an indispensable tool of today as described by one telecommunication analyst Simonian. But still impending banning of such devices to several countries citing national security concerns as the main reason. Also, issues of crime and terrorism have been raised. Without the ability to monitor data, the UAE would have to rely on RIM to hand over data for criminal investigations. That in their current form, certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national-security concerns as pointed out by UAE’s Telecom Chief, Al-Ghanem. The method in which RIM handles BlackBerry data is the main concern of the ban because unlike most phones, BlackBerry data is encrypted and routed overseas through RIM’s network center in
The banning of BlackBerry messaging services in several independent states in my opinion is reasonable mainly because it is in the interest of National Security. It is a valid action of their government acting on their responsibility to their people.
These countries fear that BlackBerry could provide cover for militant activities and they have experienced attacks using mobile and satellite phones for coordination. These countries are only exercising inherent power for the interest of national security.
One may ask if it is it really the device which is the threat to national security or is it the one manages the information accumulated and being disseminated that can be a threat to national security --- as information passes from one device to another, such information are stored somewhere only in the case of BlackBerry it is not readable and that is what makes these country banned the device.
I believe that as independent state it is the right of the country to have access to information that they believe can be a threat to their national security. In the state’s exercise of accessing information which is considered private we have to know how far can the government intrude in the personal correspondence of a citizen?
But as a private citizen, I would like to exercise my right of privacy to communication. As it is embodied and recognized right in the Constitution in almost every country in the world. I hope that the citizens of such country would not be deprived in exercising such right for this is another form of restricting their personal freedom. I can’t speak on how exigent the structure, implementation and exercise of the basic human rights in such Gulf countries but I would like to believe that their government’s concern is more real than just another way of restricting some of their citizen’s rights.
The regulation in the use of BlackBerry Messaging Services depends on how an independent states restrict the presonal freedom of their citizens withing their jurisdiction and territory. The banning is only limited to the other services of BlackBerry particularly the e-mail messaging so those who have previously bought BlackBerry could still freely use the device for phone calls.
DISCLAIMER: This is posted ONLY for compliance in Technology and the Law subject requirements.
