This BlackBerry ban issue is starting to get a little out of hand! First the DoT wants to ban them, then the UAE and Saudi Arabia of which Saudi Arabia  actually banned then unbanned BlackBerry messaging services, now Germany wants a piece of the action. The German government apparently wants to ban BlackBerry smartphones not because they want to invade the privacy of their citizens, but because of a “dramatic increase in cyber attacks”.

The announcement comes following an “urgent” recommendation by federal IT security agency BSI, which suggested the German government switch to Simko devices offered by Deutsche Telekom. Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere explained that “a rise in attacks against our networks and in particular against government networks” has led officials to reconsider whether the smartphones’ security was aligned with its own. “BlackBerry’s infrastructure is a company-owned closed system,” he said. “But the access standard must be capable of being set by the government and not by a private company.”

And then there’s this bit of irony:

The German government owns a 15% share in the company and another 17% through government-owned bank KfW.

Notice how they didn’t mention being able to penetrate BlackBerry’s encryption. Also, the German government wants to ban BlackBerry smartphones in favor of “more secure” devices, those of which they happen to have share in the company who makes them. Hmm…something is wrong with that picture.

via Fast Company