Researching Motion

This is odd. Certain Middle Eastern countries won't allow RIM, (Research in Motion, a Canadian company) to set up Blackberry phones in their countries. In August, the United Arab Emirates announced a ban on Blackberry messaging and other services by RIM. Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Bahrain have followed. India became nervous, and then China. Who could be nervous about RIM? They weren't nervous about buying our Candu Reactors.

The problem is that Blackberry encrypts its messages, and these governments and others want to access that encrypted information. Blackberry encryption is unbreakable and is the only cell phone smartphone company using its own operating systems. In other words certain branches of governments want to listen in on what you are saying and they can't on Blackberries. They read and hear everything you do on other smartphone devices, but Blackberry will not reveal any cipher or encryption keys.

So now we recently have have services disrupted in the Middle East, Europe, India, then Africa, South America, Brazil, Chile and Canada. Coincidence or enemy action? Blackberry says it is not hacked. But they wouldn't tell you wold they? For the same reasons banks don't tell how they get swindled.

And we wonder if there isn't some concentrated efforts going on here to bring down Blackberry and RIM itself. It may be in the interests of the travelling businessman, corporation or tourist to keep their communications secret, but governments can't stand not knowing what you are doing while passing through their countries.

They blame terrorism of course. As usual. Who knows what WMDs you could stuff into a Blackberry. Isn't that how the endless wars started in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Maybe Canada isn't so harmless after all.

Is it odd or is it me?

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