The Saudi Arabian government and RIM, the Canadian manufacturer of BlackBerry have compromised over plans to ban the BlackBerry messenger service. The deal reportedly allows for a server to be built in Saudi Arabia, overcoming the concerns of the government that data was sent abroad. Fears were originally raised by the United Arab Emirates, who plan to implement their own ban in October. Experts have raised concerns that this will allow the authorities access to private messages and content and could increase state censorship. The Saudi government claims that BlackBerrys are used by terrorists and a threat to national security.
NEWS
Saudi Arabia in BlackBerry deal
The Saudi Arabian government and RIM, the Canadian manufacturer of BlackBerry have compromised over plans to ban the BlackBerry messenger service. The deal reportedly allows for a server to be built in Saudi Arabia, overcoming the concerns of the government that data was sent abroad. Fears were originally raised by the United Arab Emirates, who plan […]
09 Aug 10
READ MORE
-
Why can’t we just ban politicians from lying?
An outright ban on intentional deception would be unenforceable, lead to self-censorship and do nothing to tackle the disinformation plaguing socia...
-
Index pays tribute to Israeli journalist and human rights activist Oded Lifshitz
Lifshitz, who was killed after he was taken hostage during the 7 October massacre, was an ardent campaigner for Palestinian rights
-
Elon Musk’s attack on public broadcasters is destroying Reagan’s Cold War legacy
Once lauded as bastions of American patriotism, media outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are now being labelled enemies of the ...
-
Could Donald Trump’s administration be a double-edged sword for free speech?
We speak with the USA-based non-profit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) about the new president's complicated approach to fre...