BlackBerry services violate UAE law
The UAE has decided to ban BlackBerry services because they violate existing laws and pose a threat to its national security, an official institution has said.
The Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), an affiliate of the UAE armed forces, said the country has nothing against the Blackberry device or its manufacturers Research and Motion (RIM) of Canada on the grounds the handset has been in local service for a long time.
In a comment on last week’s decision by the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to suspend BlackBerry messenger, web browsing and e mail services from October 11, ECSSR said the UAE exercised its right to safeguard its security, protect its citizens and preserve its sovereignty.
“That is why the UAE took this decision….the move by the UAE communications regulators was in response to many objective and realistic considerations that are far from any misinformation, interpretations or speculations,” said ECSSR, which is headed by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The first consideration is that the Blackberry services that will be banned do not conform to the UAE’s telecommunications legal framework, hence they have been operating outside the law and existing communication regulations.”r
ECSSR, one of the most prestigious strategic studies centres in the region, said the UAE had sought to reach an agreement with Blackberry makers over the past period to bring its services in line with the country’s laws.
But the negotiations have failed to produced results because the manufacturing company refused to switch services for the UAE Blackberry users to inside the country although it had done so for many other nations, ECSSR said.
“The UAE is only asking that company to demonstrate similar commitment….another consideration take by the UAE to stop Blackberry services is that data sent by its citizens (users) outside the country pose serious threats to national security and infringe on the privacy of citizens,” it said.
“It also could give rise to violations away from prosecution and this will harm the very essence of the country’s security and stability…sot he issue has nothing to do with any position against the device or services themselves but against the mechanism followed by the manufacturer in providing these services….this was evident in the decision by the UAE providers to offer alternative services that conform to the law and do not threaten the security of the UAE and its people.”
ECSSR referred to a recent local survey showing nearly 75 per cent of the Blackberry users in the UAE are worried that their personal information sent through the device is stored by a foreign party abroad. It noted the survey also showed that 57 per cent of the respondents are concerned that some Blackberry services in the UAE are outside the sphere of the country’s judicial system.
“Every one realizes that the UAE is an open country and is keen to enable its citizens and expatriates to interact with the other countries and the latest technologies, particularly in the telecommunications field,” ECSSR said.
“But at the same time, the UAE, like other nations, can not accept any technological applications that will violate its law, destabilize its society, or threaten its national security and its citizens and their privacy.”
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