VOA标准英语2010年-UAE BlackBerry Ban is Latest Clash Ove

The United Arab Emirates has announced that it will block data communication services on BlackBerry smartphones starting on October 11. Regulators say BlackBerry's encryption system poses a security threat because it can be used by criminals and terrorists. The move is the latest conflict between governments and technology companies over the control of information in the Internet age.

Jerome Socolovsky 02 August 2010
 
In this Feb. 18, 2010 file photo, a BlackBerry smart phone is displayed at the Mobile World congress in Barcelona, Spain

The announcement of a ban on BlackBerry services in the United Arab Emirates is having a chilling effect on sales.

Compu-Me is one of several mobile telephone shops at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. 

"I have spoken already to customers here; they are planning [to] shift to iPhones if BBM is closed," said Gilda Ducao, the customer service representative at the store.

 

The United Arab Emirates announced on Sunday that it will suspend BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, as well as email and mobile browsing² services starting in October.  The government's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority says the services posed a security threat.

Unlike Apple and Nokia smartphones, the data sent over Research in Motion's BlackBerry is encrypted and stored abroad.  Authorities in the UAE say they cannot access information needed for judicial³ investigations⁴.

Canada-based Research in Motion, or RIM¹, disputes the UAE's assertion.  The company says it "respects both the regulatory requirements of government and the security and privacy needs of corporations and consumers."

It is not the first dispute between governments and communications firms over the control of information.  Recently, Internet giant Google had to remove its search engine from .., and Pakistan blocked the Internet social networking company Facebook over what authorities called blasphemy⁵.

Ryan Radia is Associate Director of Technology Studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington D.C.  He says the difference is that the BlackBerry's reputation is based on its strong data protection.

"So the fact that the UAE is pressuring RIM to essentially⁶ create a back door around its encryption, may actually threaten the reputation of BlackBerry as the most secure smartphone platform," he said.

But the UAE's reputation could suffer too.  Dubai, Radia points out, is a major transit⁷ point for foreign travelers and an upscale shopping destination in the Middle East.

"The UAE certainly has a lot to lose here," he said. "Whenever a country imposes rules on business that hurts the business that makes it less appealing to consumers, there's a risk that, first of all, the businesses that do operate in the country will suffer.  There's also the risk that foreign businesses will pull out, will disengage."

A Saudi Arabian official has said that BlackBerry's messaging service might be blocked there.  India has also threatened a ban.

Critics say these governments are using concerns about terrorism to increase their political control.

But analyst⁸ Ryan Radia says that even if that is the case, governments could still lose because modern technology allows virtually anyone to circumvent⁹ the bans and use other encryption methods that are extremely difficult to break.
 

1 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

2 browsing   

v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息

参考例句：

• He sits browsing over[through] a book. 他坐着翻阅书籍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Cattle is browsing in the field. 牛正在田里吃草。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

4 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

5 blasphemy   

n.亵渎，渎神

参考例句：

• His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。
• You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 circumvent   

vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜

参考例句：

• Military planners tried to circumvent the treaty.军事策略家们企图绕开这一条约。
• Any action I took to circumvent his scheme was justified.我为斗赢他的如意算盘而采取的任何行动都是正当的。