RIM – a freedom fighter?
And bold has Research In Motion been in the recent negotiations with United States Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries. RIM has become a beacon of light for the many Middle Eastern human rights activists, not having immediately complied with access to information requests for Middle Eastern governments. Governments of India and Saudi Arabia argue that such a measure is necessary for national security. It is this fight against censorship and freedom of communication that many technology companies like RIM, Google and Yahoo! have to face now – to appease local governments or to stay true to the foundational Western freedoms.
RIM has to be conscious of the company’s future. With its market share in North American markets being eaten away by Apple’s iPhone 4, RIM’s future stands in foreign markets. On one hand, as little friction with foreign governments is preferred for the threatened ban of corporate e-mail and Blackberry Messenger will shut out RIM’s advantage over other telecommunication devices. On the other hand, RIM has to be wary of its reputation with its customers surrounding ethics and social conscience.
For the Blackberry users in the Middle East however, their choice is clear. The Blackberry, like other iconic communication tools in our time, has served to bring together individuals for positive social change. Interviewed by Maclean’s, Nabeel Rajab of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is representative of this population, citing that “Since the BlackBerry arrived, activists and human rights defenders have depended heavily on it to spread their activities and the culture of human rights”.
What is RIM’s choice going to be? Are they going to take a stance against this technology “cold war”?
