WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is wading into the growing international dispute over the banning of Blackberry services, seeking to broker compromises between the company that makes the popular devices and foreign governments that say they pose a security risk. Worried that such bans will hurt the work of American diplomats and businessmen overseas, the State Department says it has been in touch with Waterloo, Ont.-based manufacturer Research in Motion (TSX:RIM).
Officials from several nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have announced or are contemplating bans on some Blackberry features. Department officials said they were hoping to find a compromise between the legitimate security concerns of some governments and ensure that the free flow of information and communication is not compromised.