Viva La BlackBerry? Je Crois Que Non

Paris may be the 'City of Love,' but French officials have little l'amour for the BlackBerry. According to the UK's Times Online, French ministerial workers have been banned from using the devices for fear that foreign governments could intercept messages and spy on the country through them. France's General Secretariat for National Defence (SGDN), which is responsible for the country's national security, is responsible for the ban. The department's concern lies in the fact that messages sent on BlackBerry devices must pass through American- and British-based servers and could therefore be tracked and viewed.

RIM has been quick to dismiss these fears, claiming that its security--AES 256 protection--is "the strongest commercial cryptography available to any vendor in the world." RIM officials say they are committed to working with France to ensure that the country's needs and security concerns are fully addressed.

Sigh. I guess it's gonna be 'Freedom Fries' in the cafeteria again soon.

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