U.S.: UAE BlackBerry Ban Sets 'Dangerous Precedent' (RIMM)

The United States said Monday that it was disappointed that the United Arab Emirates was choosing to block certain BlackBerry services. The U.S. said the Gulf nation was setting a "dangerous precedent" in limiting freedom of information."We are committed to promoting the free flow of information," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley. "We think it's integral to an innovative economy."According to a Reuters report, "The UAE said over the weekend that it would suspend Research In Motion's (NASDAQ: RIMM) BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from October 11 until the government could get access to encrypted messages.""It's about what we think is an important element of democracy, human rights and freedom of information and the flow of information in the 21st century," Crowley said, adding that the United States makes the same argument to Iran and China."We think it sets a dangerous precedent," he said. "You should be opening up societies to these new technologies that have the opportunity to empower people rather than looking to see how you can restrict certain technologies."Shares of Research in Motion lost 1% on Monday, to close at $56.98.