BlackBerry is "national security risk", says UAE

The United Arab Emirates says that RIM's BlackBerry smartphones pose a "national security risk" and the Gulf state may restrict or monitor smarthones if it is able to amend the country's emergency and security laws.

The introduction of Blackberry in the UAE in 2006 pre-dates the 2007 introduction of the UAE's Safety, Emergency and National Security legislation, which regulates Blackberry applications in the UAE.

Currently, Blackberry operates beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation, since it is the only device operating in the UAE that immediately exports its data off-shore and is managed by a foreign, commercial organisation.

''As a result of how Blackberry data is managed and stored, in their current form, certain Blackberry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions,'' said Emirates News Agency, which is part of the country's ministry of information and culture..

''Like many other countries, we have been working for a long time to resolve these critical issues, with the objective of finding a solution that safeguards our consumers and operates within the boundaries of UAE law,'' it added.

This security scare of Blackberry smartphones is not only in the UAE but some other countries in the gulf region and Asia.