Saudi BlackBerry Ban Begins Friday

Research in Motion’s refusal Tuesday to compromise the security and privacy of its BlackBerry users by making their communications easier for Gulf States to surveil has led to some quick repercussions in Saudi Arabia. Claiming RIM’s BlackBerry service does not meet the country’s regulatory requirements, Saudi Arabia has ordered a suspension of some BlackBerry services as of Friday. “(The ban) is only for the Messenger. Negotiations are still going, the deadline is final,” a Communications and Information Technology Commission official told Reuters. News of the ban follows an announcement by the United Arab Emirates that it will suspend BlackBerry service on October 11.