nzsvz9 (< 20)

Blackberry - A Threat to Totalitarianism

July 26, 2010 – Comments (0) | RELATED TICKERS: RIMM , JOB

Here they go again ... the government of the UAE sees the blackberry device as a potential threat to national security! Read the article here. Now, I can see them as a threat to safe driving, and perhaps national health (I have seen a few crack-berry addicts) and even the President uses one ... but how can the blackberry be a threat to national security? It's about freedom.

The blackberry uses an ecryption technology called elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) developed by a former supplier called Certicom which Research in Motion purchased a while ago. The leaders of Certicom invented a new form of certificates called Que-Vanstone -or QV - certs (named after themselves - a bit self serving, but if you're good why not?) This kind of encryption has not been hacked yet - and it likely will be some time (i.e. years) before computational power outstrips the inherent strength of the algorithm.

So why would UAE balk against the use of the blackberry? Because the government of the UAE can NOT know what people are doing with them. Freedom to communicate is a required pre-requestie for freedom of speech - and if you can not control how people communicate - then you can not control (or intimidate - or investigate - or prosecute) the people.

Way to go RIMM. Keep the despots in fear ...

Known as blackberry-less nzsvz9