BlackBerry users in Saudi Arabia were gearing up for their device’s certain death. With hours to spare, it has come to light that someone (RIM or Saudi Arabia) caved and managed to strike a deal. Given the Kingdom’s rather firm approach to the whole matter, I’d wager it isn’t them who bent under pressure. That medal (if you can call it that) goes to RIM.
While I see the business side of the decision, that doesn’t negate the fact it’s a very bad decision. Giving countries local access to BlackBerry servers under the false guise of increased security (we all know it’s for censorship) of their own undermines the platforms biggest selling point — security. If everyone and the brother can start tapping into BlackBerry users’ data, the whole “BlackBerry is secure” mantra goes out the window.
So it’s a bittersweet victory. Saudi residents get to keep a fully functioning BlackBerry at the expense of security.
Source:
Cellular News
