While migrant workers rights are still a problem in the U.A.E., privacy has also been a major concern for the last several years. In August of 2010 bans were planned (but not carried through) for Blackberry mobile phones, because the government was unable to intercept and monitor communications, messages and emails. Because Blackberrys send encrypted date to computer servers outside of the two countries, the governments do not have access to it, despite trying to negotiate with RIM, the makers of Blackberry.
The UAE denies that this issue involves censorship, and claims that Blackberrys "lack compliance with local laws that raise judicial, social and national security concerns". This issue follows a similar one last year when the UAE's telecoms regulator, TRA, attempted to install spyware on Blackberry handsets, as well as a refusal in 2007 for TRA to have access to encrypted networks so they could monitor email and other data.
However, in October of 2010, only three days before the scheduled ban, RIM (the makers of blackberry) and the UAE reached an agreement that would allow Blackberry's to not be banned. However, neither the UAE or RIM would discuss the details of what changed, though RIM stated it would make no changes to security architecture.
"As such we can only hypothesize that some kind of workaround has been agreed in terms and conditions between the UAE regulator and local carriers ...to gain access to e-mails sent over the Blackberry service," Tony Cripps, principal analyst at Ovum said.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11499755
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10830485
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/08/100802_witn_uae_blackberry_page.shtml
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