DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Dubai's police chief says worries about spying by the U.S., Israel and others helped push plans to limit BlackBerry services in the United Arab Emirates.
The comments by Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim — posted Friday on the Al-Khaleej newspaper website — raise new doubts about a possible deal with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. before an Oct. 11 deadline.
Tamim is quoted as saying he believes America, Israel and other countries can use the smart phone for espionage. Blackberry data is encrypted and routed through servers of Canadian-based RIM.
The UAE says it plans to block Blackberry email, messaging and Web services. This week, India gave RIM a 60-day window to offer ways for authorities to monitor BlackBerry traffic.