“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” And then times got worse, and worse, and worse. At least for RIM.
After jumping through hoops for the Saudi Arabian government, and then doing the same in India, South Africa has decided to get in on the fun and ask for access to BBM messages. The government’s reasoning was security-related, of course, but also had to do with the fact that UK has plans to do the same.
Deputy communications minister Obed Bapela told delegates at the Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference on Monday that “there is evidence that criminals are now using BBM to plan and execute crime. We want to review BBM like in the UK and Saudi Arabia,” reports the AFP.
And honestly, the country probably needs it. South Africa sees an average of 46 murders a day, and BBM has already proven itself a popular way to organize crime.