In a Sunday statement, the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) revealed that, due to national security concerns, key features of the Research In Motion (RIM)’s BlackBerry smartphones will be blocked. It is also being reported that Saudi Arabia may also follow suit. 

The UAE authorities’ decision to suspend BlackBerry e-mail services in October comes close on the heels of an announcement that India may ban BlackBerry e-mail use.

With BlackBerry transmissions largely being encrypted and routed overseas, the move by the UAE authorities is probably a consequence of the government’s apprehension that the messaging system of the BlackBerry handsets might be exploited by terrorists or other criminals whom the local authorities cannot monitor.

As a result of the UAE decision, hundreds of thousands of BlackBerry users in the country will be unable to access e-mail and the Web on their handsets from October 11 onwards; thereby delivering a hard blow to the Middle Eastern federation’s reputation as an enterprise-friendly commercial and tourism hub.

Talking about the move, Ron Deibert – director of the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, instrumental in uncovering a plot against the Indian government – said: “It’s a reflection of fears of cyber security and espionage that now extend to mobile phones. It’s the type of thing that will become more common for RIM as they grapple with public policy and ethical issues in emerging markets.”