UAE, Saudi Arabia Look to Ban Some BlackBerry Services

Both the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are set to ban some functions of BlackBerry devices used in their countries. At issue is the inability of both countries to easily monitor data traveling via various features on the phone.

BlackBerry data, unlike that of most phones, is both encrypts its data and routes it through an overseas data center, in this case, RIM's network center in Canada. The UAE says that because of this, it will block emails, Internet access, and instant messaging to other Blackberry handsets.

Negotiations with the UAE fell apart when the suggestion of a proxy server in the UAE was rejected by RIM. The UAE ban is set to begin in October. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has ordered telecommunications firms to block BlackBerry instant messaging services later this month.

In both cases, the nations said it was necessary for security and anti-terrorism purposes. Additionally, it was said that by failing to resolve the issues, RIM was in non-compliance with local laws.

Recently, India has made similar statements about BlackBerry services, and wants the same sort of proxy server setup that UAE had requested.