UAE moves to restrict BlackBerry use

August 2, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

McClatchy Newspapers

CAIRO, Egypt

Citing concerns that terrorists and criminals could exploit telecommunications traffic in the Arab world’s financial hub, the United Arab Emirates said Sunday that it would suspend e-mail and Web browsing on BlackBerry services beginning in October.

Shortly after the UAE’s announcement, media reports quoted officials in Saudi Arabia as saying the kingdom would take similar steps to restrict features on the popular BlackBerry smartphones. The decisions could affect up to 1 million BlackBerry users in the region and possibly upset networking for business people and tourists.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are increasingly worried about terrorism. But the religiously conservative and politically autocratic countries also want tighter controls on information and seek to limit communication options for opposition figures and human-rights activists. Both nations practice censorship and frequently filter websites deemed unacceptable by clerics and their Interior ministries.

The UAE’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority said in a statement on its website that “today’s decision is based on the fact that, in their current form, certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE.”

The authority’s director general, Mohamed Ghanim, said: “With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, as of Oct. 11, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry e-mail and BlackBerry Web-browsing services will be suspended.”