Blackberry network is far more secure!

I never realized this and I am surprised that BlackBerry and Research In Motion advertising have not made a big deal out of it. According to this article BlackBerry communications travel over a highly encrypted channel, not the open internet:

"Other smartphones, like the Apple iPhone, are not tied to one e-mail service. In general, that means e-mail to and from the devices mostly travels over the open Internet and can be relatively easily monitored.

But the BlackBerry uses highly encrypted data that is received by wireless carriers’ towers and is immediately routed through a closed, global network operated by the company. To enforce the ban, the carriers will stop forwarding that data." (from New York Times)

Comments

[Jered]

Totally FUD. Your BB mail goes over a SSL channel to RIM's servers, which means that 1) you get no choice in your email, and 2) they can eavesdrop anytime they want. Any other device can connect over SSL to your very own IMAP server and avoid both risks. They're trying to spin a flaw in their design as "security".

[Pito Salas]

Jered: so Dubai has another reason to want to ban BB, or are they confused about it too?

[Jered]

Since RIM has this single point where they can intercept all of their customer data, it's very attractive to UAE. Thus UAE is demanding that they make this central insecurity available to them... something they can't do to vendors in a distributed services world.

[Pito Salas]

Wow fascinating!