Blackberry devices are being singled out for censorship because they don't route messages, email, & data to local servers. Blackberry routes them to international servers, for greater security, according to this article. So, the more secure the messaging service is for users, the more the desire for Saudi and UAE officials to block & censor the service. This is what the issue is about. These countries are closed and censorship is routine. Leaders are afraid of information and knowledge. Or rather, they are afraid of an informed and knowledgeable public.
Here are some telling quotes from this NY Times article:
"...analysts and activists also see it as an attempt to more tightly control the flow of information in the conservative country, a U.S. ally that is home to the Gulf business capital Dubai and the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi."
"Like in Saudi Arabia, government censors in the UAE already routinely block access to websites and other media deemed to carry content that runs contrary to the nation's conservative Islamic values or could stoke political unrest."
UPDATE on 8-8-2010
Expanded article in The NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/technology/09rim.html?hp
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment