Abstract
The aim of this paper is to reflect on the plans by UAE to bar Blackberry services in the region and supported by the implications that the measure would have on the region, gives my position, disagreement against the move by the authorities. To prop my position of disagreeing with the move, this paper gives multiple examples of the impacts the move will have on the region.
Executive Summary
Research in Motion Blackberry is renown by its users for its cutting-edge services. Most notably, it has attracted many users because of its high security features in Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry E-mail and Blackberry Web-browsing services. Among the its users, some have good intentions while others bad; and this has made many governments restless since its difficulty to monitor illegal activities because Blackberry manages its data, encrypts and sends to its overseas therefore making it difficult to bring criminals to justice.
Among the governments concerned is the Emirates’ and which has led to its declaration that it would stop the Blackberry services in the region. However, its a move with demerits outweighing the merits. While the government is concerned about the user’s and the security of the general public, there are many disadvantages. One is destroying its reputation as the easiest place to start a business. Investors could worry that after closing the Blackberry services, Internet would be next and they may pull out of the region, which is an international business hub, denying it foreign exchange and this could have implications in servicing its over $ 100 billion debt.
Also, should the authorities implement the decision to stop the Blackberry services, it may affect the more than 100,000 passengers who use the busiest airport in the region and compel them to seek alternatives, cutting short the source of social and economic the region enjoys. Over 175 world countries, both users and governments, have accepted the Blackberry’s security features. Thus, with stopping such features, it will isolate the region technologically. Unreasonable claims; the Emirates’ government is compelled by poor claims such as the killing of al-Mahbouh by Israeli security operatives in the sense of protecting people. It is monopolization since it was endorsing Etisalat Company to offer the same services. The move is contrary to the human rights law under Article 19 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which state freedom of expression. The move is ill-advised because almost unreasonable claims thereby making it unreasonable decision.

Overview
Blackberry services have had a mighty role in the society, serving good and evil deeds in equal measure. The Blackberry services transcend the professional fields of its ever increasing numbers of users. Users of no specific age bracket use Blackberry services ranging from Blackberry Messenger to Black E-mail to Blackberry Web and other services. But perhaps one of the most attracting factors that drive its users to embrace the Blackberry services is its security features thanks to Research in Motion’s (RIM) technology developments which, unfortunately, has led to security concerns for many governments among them UAE, India and Saudi Arabia. Many of these governments have expressed or hinted their intentions to stop the Blackberry services operating in their regions. Emirates has had a frosty relationship with Blackberry services. This has mostly resulted from crime investigations with the criminal trails ending and/or pointing to Blackberry.
The UAE authorities made the decision to stop the Blackberry services for what they termed as for the sake of public interest and the country’s political interest; and for what it has termed as some features of Blackberry not complying with the laws of the country and thereby causing it to have “judicial, social and national security concerns.” The Emirates’ worries have arisen from the manner in which Blackberry manages data, encrypts it and subsequently routs it to its international RIM servers thereby making hard in monitoring it for any illegal actions and terming Blackberry a criminal conspiracy (Musil). A clear example is the January, 2010 killing of Mohamoud Al-Mabhouh, Hamas influential figure, by reportedly Mossad and that on UAE authorities conducting investigations, it was found that the suspected killers took advantage of the Blackberry’s security features whereby users are not monitored to carry out their activities.
My opinion
Based on my opinion, I have to disagree the Emirates’ decision to stop Blackberry services because the demerits of the move outweighs the merits and thus, an ill-advised move.
UAE has garnered the reputation of being a place that is relatively easy to conduct business. This, and coupled with the fact that the UAE authorities has embarked on efforts aimed at establishing the region as an international business haven, has drawn investors in the region. Therefore, the move to stop Blackberry services could mete out a mighty blow to the efforts of making the region an international business hub; also could destroy the Emirates’ reputation of being a safe place of conducting business for investors who could worry that with the stopping of Blackberry services, Emirates could also institute that move on Internet. This could prevent the country from earning foreign exchange.
Emirates is a hub for global finance, trade and tourism. The Emirates profits much from those activities. On the other side, Emirates has a national debt of more than $ 100 billion. Imposing such a measure will reduce the scale of those activities and how they are conducted and in turn, jeopardize the efforts of the Emirates to service its debt.
In the region, the airport situated in Dubai is the busiest whereby an estimated 100,000 travelers use the airport daily. Being a central transit point in the region and serving such a huge number of passengers, it has social and economic advantages for Emirates. Implementing the decision may affect the foreign Blackberry users who use the airport and have roaming services since they will be unable to access the Blackberry Web and Blackberry E-mail services once in the region (News24). Such a decision can deter the passengers from using the airport thereby preventing the advantages that Emirates enjoyed.
Blackberry services, the security features, to put it in precise and concise terms have been accepted in the over than 175 countries where the company provides services. This implies that almost all countries in the world use the Blackberry’s features. Since the security features have been accepted by the users and authorized by their governments in the many countries it operates, stopping the operation of Blackberry services in the region will make it a region that’s isolated technologically.

One of the main reasons that led to Emirates’ directive of stopping Blackberry service in the region was Mohamoud al-Mabhouh’s death on January 20, 2010 in a Dubai hotel room; al-Mabhouh was an influential figure of Hamas and had a history of criminal activities. He’s allegedly a crucial figure during the abduction and the killing of Avi Sasportas and Ilan Sa’adon, two Israeli soldiers whereby he described how he carried it out by disguising himself as an Orthodox Jew. Al-Mabhouh was also reportedly a crucial figure in creating relationships between Al-Quds Force, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the Hamas government in Gaza. Israel also suspected al-Mabhouh’s involvement in weapons and explosives smuggling to Gaza. Al-Mabhouh was killed by Mossad, Israeli’s hit team, who though literally, violated the Emirates’ sovereignty. While al-Mahbouh was a criminal, his suspected killers, Mossad agents were an intelligence group that executes suspected criminals (Arab Times). Despite the fact that the suspected killers, Mossad agents, illegally executed him in another country, to some extent the killing was somehow justifiable (Whitaker). This case points out to one of the almost unreasonable reasons that Emirates’ authorities [are trying to] use in stopping the Blackberry services in the region.
UAE government described the decision to stop the Blackberry services as motivated by the desire to protect the users themselves and contrary to what some people believed, not to restrict their liberty or freedom of expression. However, the UAE government made a confirmation that another company called Etisalat, would give alternative services for the users not less than the Blackberry services. If Etisalat company would provide alternative services, then it meant that just like by use of Blackberry services, the user’s freedom of expression would not be censored (intended to mean that users would not be censored). If the same services would be It therefore, though quite literally, implies that nothing would change at all. The UAE was trying to monopolize the market, in the veil of public safety.

Literature review
Under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which also the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) recognizes, freedom of expression is described as an international human right law whereby the ICCPR under Article 19 describes that “Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference…everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression” and that that “right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.” The Emirates’ regulating officials, through their intention to stop the operation of Blackberry services in the region are going against the aforementioned human rights law that allows free personal freedom of expression without censorship (Keller). This law was violated through the Emirates’ standoff through Mohamed al-Ghanim, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s general director of suspending Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry E-mail and Blackberry Web until the provision of a solution. Being an autocratic government, the Emirates’ also violates the human rights law through the control of “what information citizens consume…and share with others.”
Conclusion
Public or a Blackberry user’s safety doesn’t merely depend on censoring the citizens’ freedom of conservation; safety depends on the ability of the authorities to practice and offer effective security measures. Based on one of the reasons on why Emirates decided to stop the Blackberry services, was after al-Mabhouh death. Even though communication played a role in his death, what played a key role was their suspects, the Mossad agents, entering into the country using fake passports since it’s reported that they used European passports and innocent Israeli’s passports. Thus, what led to the death is mainly the ineffectiveness of the Emirates’ immigration department in detecting their illegal entry and in knowing that they were using aliases (McDermott). Lax immigration practices and regulations were to blame for the death. Therefore, in my opinion, the move was an ill-advised move which arose from an ill-conceived reason and above all, it was an act of ill-will.

Works cited
Arab Times. “No Plan Yet for Blackberry in Kuwait.” Accessed March 3, 2012 from http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/157656/reftab/73/t/NO-PLAN-YET-FOR-BLACKBERRY-BAN-IN-KUWAIT/Default.aspx
Keller, J. Liberal Democracy and the New Media. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
McDermott, N. “’ Dubai hit squad stole my identity’: British man’s name used by assassins who executed senior Hamas leader.” February 16, 2010. Accessed March 5, 2012 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251260/Mahmoud-al-Mabhouh-Dubai-assassination-Briton-named-hit-squad-speaks-out.html
Musil, S. “Two Mideast countries to ban Blackberry functions.” August 10, 2010. Accessed March 2, 2012 from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20012301-94.html
News24. “UAE may limit some Blackberry services.” April, 4, 2011. Accessed March 3, 2012 from http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/UAE-may-limit-some-BlackBerry-services-20110417
Whitaker, B. “Mahmoud al-Mabhouh’s murky world.” February, 17, 2010. Accessed March 5, 2012 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/17/mabhouh-murder-script-killers