Gulf state to ban individuals and small businesses from using the most secure BlackBerry settings

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

BlackBerry users in the United Arab Emirates will soon be unable to send emails and messages without fear of government snooping, under tighter restrictions on internet communication in the Gulf state.

The UAE is to ban individuals and small businesses from using the most secure BlackBerry settings – for email, web browsing and BlackBerry Messenger – as part of security fears sweeping the Middle East. Only companies with more than 20 BlackBerry accounts will be able to access the encrypted BlackBerry service, which is favoured by corporate users and government agencies.

Authorities in India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Lebanon have been pushing for greater access to data transmitted between BlackBerry smartphones for months, citing security fears at the level of encryption employed on the devices.

Seven months ago, the UAE dropped the threat of a total blackout on the country's 500,000 BlackBerry users after a standoff lasted months between parent company Research In Motion and government authorities.

However, RIM said on Sunday the tighter restrictions would apply to all phone makers in the country, including Apple and Motorola.

"The UAE [Telecommunications Regulatory Authority] has confirmed to RIM that any potential policy regarding enterprise services in the UAE would be an industry-wide policy (not specific to BlackBerry) applying equally to all enterprise solution providers and with the intent of avoiding any impact on legitimate enterprise customers," the Canadian company said.

The UAE, like India and Saudi Arabia, has voiced concerns over its inability to access emails and messages sent using BlackBerry's Enterprise service, largely used by businesses and high-ranking civil servants.

Government authorities can already legally intercept communication sent by BlackBerry customers using the less-secure BlackBerry Internet Service. Mobile security fears were heightened by reports the Mumbai terrorists used secure BlackBerrys to plot their attacks in 2008.

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the smartphone's instant messenger service, has proved popular with young Emiratis in the Gulf nation. Like a social network, BBM allows users to send messages to many people at once, making it an efficient way to organise large groups of people.

Although the UAE has so far been immune from the Arab spring protests that have unseated neighbouring governments, authorities have detained at least three activists calling for democratic reforms in the past two weeks.