[/caption]Google is fighting a battle in China, and now the makers of BlackBerry are being told that some forms of its usage will be banned in two Gulf States.
China’s censorship stems from not wanting its' people to be influenced by the Democratic process, such as the right to freedom of speech, which they see could undermine an autocratic regime. But in the Gulf States, BlackBerry is supposedly banned over national security concerns.
The two Arab states about to curtail some usage of the BlackBerry are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The BBC is reporting that the UAE will be blocking the sending of e-mails; the sending of instant messages; and accessing the Internet, while the Saudis will be blocking the Blackberry to BlackBerry instant messaging.
Both Gulf States, authorities say, are undertaking this measure because they cannot monitor the communications by the RIM handsets – this is because the communications are sent to servers located outside Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE’s ban is scheduled to start in October, but the Saudis’ ban will commence later this month.
The RIM owners, who will be adversely affected in these two Gulf States, are numbered at 90,000 – 500,000 in the UAE, and 400,000 in Saudi Arabia.
The telecommunications authorities in these respective countries say that it is not about censorship, but a concern of national security. Media watchdogs disagree, opining that the ban has to do more with repressive laws and to increase surveillance of the people in these two countries.
The makers of BlackBerry's Research in Motion (RIM), must now decide how to navigate this issue – how to reach that delicate balance between principle and profit.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are important business partners, which contribute much revenue to RIM’s bottom line… so it is going to be interesting to see how RIM solves this problem. As of now, RIM is not saying what discussions it is having with the Gulf States to resolve this issue.
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