UAE claims BlackBerry devices being used for spying

Dubai's chief of police has claimed that the UK, Israel and the US are using BlackBerry devices to spy on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and that Research in Motion (RIM) provides the authorities with the relevant encryption codes to do so.

Dhahi Khalfan Tamim told local news site Khaleej Times that spying is taking place, and that the UAE is demanding concessions from RIM, according to a report from Reuters.

"The US is the primary beneficiary of having no controls over the BlackBerry, as it has an interest to spy on the UAE," he said.

"The West has accused us of curbing the liberties of BlackBerry users, while America, Israel, Britain and other countries are allowed access to all transferred data."

V3.co.uk contacted RIM for comment but had yet to receive a reply at the time of publication.

RIM has always strenuously denied that governments can access its data, claiming that it is unable to provide the necessary encryption keys.

Nevertheless, the UAE has said that email and web browser services on BlackBerry devices will be banned from 11 October unless the government is given access to encrypted messages.

RIM was given a 60-day reprieve by the Indian government last week after convincing the authorities not to ban its services. Other nations have also threatened to ban certain BlackBerry services, including Kuwait, Lebanon and Sa udi Arabia.