By Reuters
A deadline Saudi Arabia has fixed for BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion Ltd and local mobile phone operators to address security concerns has lapsed, but the handset’s services continue to operate normally.
The Communications and Information Telecommunications Commission (CITC) on Saturday gave the kingdom’s three mobile firms until Monday before it proceeds with a threat to cut the BlackBerry’s Messenger function for some 700,000 users in the kingdom, a threat which it had already delayed last week. Get the full story »
Aug. 6, 2010 at 8:28 a.m.
Filed under:
International,
Technology
By Associated Press
Some Saudis are trying to sell their BlackBerrys ahead of a ban on the smart phone’s messenger service in the kingdom. The Saudi telecoms regulatory agency said this week the service would be halted Friday. By mid-afternoon, it was still operating.
By Reuters
The Saudi telecom watchdog said on Tuesday that telecom companies in the kingdom must block the messenger function on Blackberry handsets as of Friday.
The ban would last until the kingdom’s three mobile phone operators “fulfill the regulatory requirements it has requested,” the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) said in a statement to media. Get the full story »
By Reuters
Research In Motion pledged to satisfy the security needs of customers and governments, a day after the United Arab Emirates threatened to cut off some BlackBerry services because authorities could not access encrypted messaging data.
In the latest of several disputes over BlackBerry security, the UAE said over the weekend that it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from Oct. 11 until it could access encrypted messages. Get the full story »
Associated Press and Reuters
The United States said it was disappointed that the United Arab Emirates planned to cut off key BlackBerry services and said the Gulf nation was setting a dangerous precedent in limiting freedom of information.
“We are committed to promoting the free flow of information,” said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley. “We think it’s integral to an innovative economy.” Get the full story »
