Is RIM’s ironclad security credibility crumbling under political pressure? Will Malaysia ban the service?

There’s no denying that RIM is the world leader when it comes to business class smartphones. The BlackBerry is by default, the device of choice for budding junior execs and high powered CEO alike. What makes the BlackBerry such a powerful tool for business moguls besides it’s instant messaging and emailing capabilities is the fact that BlackBerry offers uncompromising encryption and security for its users. It is by far the most secure mobile emailing and messaging solution out there, way ahead of Google, iPhone and even Microsoft

But with Saudi Arabia’s recent lifting of its ban on the BlackBerry service based on concessions made by RIM, speculation is surfacing that BlackBerry has provided unprecedented access to certain RIM resources, giving it the power to eavesdrop on any Saudi Blackberry user, revealed an anonymous source that is close to BlackBerry.

If this is true then it is very conceivable that other countries that have or are threatening to ban the BlackBerry service might request for similar privileges in exchange for continued use of BlackBerry services.

How does this bode for RIM’s ironclad security and privacy credibility, well it’ll definitely be tarnished but to what extent is yet to be determined; but considering the notion that quite a fair number of BlackBerry users are not really bothered about the eaves dropping unless they really have something to hide, we’re thinking its going to make little to no impact at all.

The interesting thing we’re taking from this is that, as the Malaysian government is now evaluating if there is a need to ban BlackBerry here, we’re wondering if it is even necessary now that governments can request for access to data on BlackBerry servers — probably not.

But on the other hand, RIM is not just going to bend over and give access to its BlackBerry servers without a fight. After all, the brand’s reputation and USP is at stake here.

So will Malaysia call for a ban on BlackBerry service in Malaysia? We’re saying no but, in Malaysia, anything can happen.

Read about the rest of the BlackBerry ban in Malaysia right here on SoyaCincau.com:
To ban or not to ban: Ministry decides on BlackBerry this week
No Blackberry ban in Malaysia

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