Blackberry Shenanigans part 2: Security Forces Boogaloo

Reporters Without Borders is reporting that people have been held for spreading opposition to the government via BlackBerry Messenger...

"The Emirati authorities have been harassing and arresting users of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) who allegedly tried to organise a protest against an increase in the price of gasoline (one of the highest in the Arab world). The protest was eventually called off. BBM user Badr Ali Saiwad Al Dhohori, an 18-year-old resident of Ras Al Khaimah, has reportedly been held in Abu Dhabi since 15 July.
The authorities were able to trace the organiser, known as “Saud,” because he included his BlackBerry PIN in a BBM message he sent calling for the protest. They held Saud for a week and interrogated him to trace those he had been messaging. Accused of inciting opposition to the government, he has lost his job. At least five other members of the group have reportedly been summoned by the police or are still being sought.
“We call for an end to this government witch-hunt against BlackBerry Messenger users who tried to get their fellow citizens to join them in a protest,” Reporters Without Borders said. “These young people did nothing bad. At first they planned a peaceful demonstration but they ended up calling it off because they did not want to break the law. They must not be made to pay for the government’s dispute with BlackBerry’s services, which it cannot control as it would like.”
The press freedom organisation added: “Because they cannot decipher BlackBerry’s encrypted data and thereby gain access to its clients’ personal data, the security forces have decided to intimidate users in order to combat their potential for disseminating information. These summonses must stop. Al Dhohori and others potentially held at the moment in relation to this case must be freed without delay.”

More here: Wave of arrests of BlackBerry Messenger users (Reporters Without Borders)
And here: (localnewsuae) موقع: اعتقال اماراتيين على خلفية دعوتهم لتظاهرة سلمية احتجاجاً على اسعار البنزين

Links via @sultanalqassemi on twitter 

News Clip

Weird thing news is, very weird. Sometimes I can't stand it and sometimes I feel something's missing without it. Today I felt I needed my dose of news, so I went to our faithful Gulf News, and boy did I get a shock. The stories didn't surprise me individually, but the combined trends did. Some things happen today that are as normal as your son's cereal box, but I couldn't imagine them when I was your son's age.

Here's but a list of things I read. Most peculiar:

- First batch of 60 workers deported for violent protest:
In my time, protests of any kind were haram. Now not only are these guys protesting, but they are protesting violently! Where? In our beloved UAE!!! I find it totally mad. How can things degenerate to this level in the ladder of civilisation. I think it's a combination of slave-like conditions with totally despondency that drive this. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of time in my youth on a construction site as a trainee and I have nothing but love and admiration.

"The first batch of 60 out of 185 workers of ETA Ascon who were arrested for turning violent during a protest was deported on Tuesday night.

About 8,000 workers of ETA Ascon from Sonapur and Al Quoz went on a protest on Saturday demanding a hike in their basic salary and a two-way airfare when they go on leave every two years."


Sorry but these demands are basic human rights. No wonder they protested, I just disagree with the use of violence.

- Call for minimum speed limit on highways:
This is pure horse rubbish!! I remember back in the days when we used to get excited if dad's speedometer touched 100 km/h, not because his car couldn't do it but because our roads were not good enough to handle fast traffic. Now we have a case made by the Police to have a minimum speed limit of 80 km/h on our highways because of Idiots driving too slow and impeding the flow, not to mention endagering life. This is because most of these Idiots drive slowly on the FAST lane thinking it belongs to them, with the concept of roads as a Public way being very alien to their undeveloped minds. Then you get the fast big-balled Arab who then starts to undertake etc thus even making things more dangerous.

I say yay to a minimum speed limit and anything that educates and punishes the stupid drivers out there.

- Schools seek feel increase of 180%:
This is JUST WRONG. Plain wrong. Mind you I did my A-levels at a school in Dubai which I nicknamed Chouetrams (after the supermarket) because they run it like a business not an educational body. In most countries schools are run like charities (i.e. they are not allowed to make a profit, and any profit made gets put back into the school). I found this a very alien concept because my last school was so good in terms of funding that we always got the best books, gear, teachers and all the like for normal fees that didn't go up by more than inflation over the years.

Now there are these theives that want more than 180% raise in the fees?!!?! How do you justify that? How do you sleep at night?

- 9/11 "mastermind" confesses to attacks:
Not wanting to dwell on the past, but when did 9/11 happen? 2001... aaah
When did this dude get caught? Around 2002 me thinks...
When did he "confess"... 2007... aaah.. a good few years then being a good quiet boy.
Interesting timing me thinks.. and I will not dwell much on this but I find it hard that they didn't "encourage" him to confess earlier. Also I find it peculiar that only one man can plan such a complex operation. I don't believe that the truth has died with the attackers of 9/11, we're not talking about a pesky bank robbery here.

Cynical BuJ thinks they should fire the guy in charge of this investigation for failing to find more "responsible" people for the crime, and failing to "make him talk" sooner..

Have a nice day all.

BuJassem
(cross posted on my blog here