Bye-Bye BlackBerry

Give them time, and the French will always find something new to retreat from in fear. This time--BlackBerry mobile devices:

French government defense experts...have advised against [BlackBerry] use by officials in France's corridors of power, reportedly to avoid snooping by U.S. intelligence agencies.

OK, so maybe they have a point: If the U.S. government continues to monitor the transactions of its own citizens, why would they suddenly respect the French's privacy? We may even be starting to develop a reputation in the world...

More reason on government spying here. Wiretapping here.

Comments

Pinette | June 21, 2007, 4:45pm | #

"Give them time, and the French will always find something new to retreat from in fear"

That was a bit unnecessary. This isn't fox news, comments like that don't help your point at all.
I guess it could have been sarcastic/ironic but, if so, it wasn't clear.

joe | June 21, 2007, 4:49pm | #

Hey, I loves me some smelly, cowardly Frenchman humor.

But actually using silly comedy about the French to make a political point is lame.

Pro Libertate | June 21, 2007, 4:58pm | #

The French are being silly. We're not going to intercept their communications. No, what we're doing is building into each Blackberry homing beacons. You know, in case we ever need to find certain people.

GILMORE | June 21, 2007, 5:05pm | #

uhm. Unless Im mistaken, Blackberry (RIM) is a Canadian company, and the US would have no special access to their network.

Unless, that is, that because radio-based blackberry's are *easier* to spy on... in which case, the rule wouldnt apply to france, but any government...

Yes, the retreat in fear line was kinda bullshit. unless ironized...but it didnt read that way

Tom | June 21, 2007, 5:06pm | #

This is actually kind of funny. Everyone is all over the government because they didn't have enough intel before 9/11 and their intel about Iraq wasn't accurate. Now we hear about the possibility of an as yet unverified intel operation, or the potential for one, and everyone's up in arms about it. Hellllloooo, welcome to the real world. I for one, would be completely disappointed if it turns out we're not trying to snoop on French government types, along with the governements of every other country in the world.

GILMORE | June 21, 2007, 5:08pm | #

Also, who the fuck are these new bloggers?

Did the reason staff all go on a group vacation to Hawaii, and ask some unpaid college interns to "just pretend you're like, pissed off at government....they wont notice"...

...and, while in Hawaii, Dave Weigel finds a 'taboo idol' that gives bad luck to everyone...

JasonC | June 21, 2007, 5:12pm | #

That was hilarious, Gilmore.

Rimfax | June 21, 2007, 5:16pm | #

Unless Im mistaken, Blackberry (RIM) is a Canadian company, and the US would have no special access to their network.

[*rolls around on floor in convulsive hilarity spilling beer everywhere*]

Yeah, cause Gawd knows the US allies aren't providing US intel special access to their domestic networks. (...and they wouldn't call such a program "Echelon" or anything like that.)

[/irony]

Rex Rhino | June 21, 2007, 5:18pm | #

My guess is this is more about protectionism (they want French government officials to use a French product, as opposed to a Canadian product).

In terms of spying on the French government though, I don't think that it is a problem for the NSA to listen in on any consumer grade wireless device. The Blackberry isn't any less secure than any other comparible device.

Pious Candy-Assed Sidewinder | June 21, 2007, 5:22pm | #

But actually using silly comedy about the French to make a political point is lame.

So the French bravely defended their homeland in two major world wars? Are you froggin' kidding me? Jeez, get you some of them balls of humorness.

Pro Libertate | June 21, 2007, 5:23pm | #

I'm not anti-French or anything, but, to follow up on the Canadian superhero thread yesterday, if Canada finds it necessary to invade and conquer France, I think the U.S. should support our northern brethren.

Aresen, I assume your impending war on France is due to the whole Quebec thing?

fyodor | June 21, 2007, 5:40pm | #

"Jonathan Blanks" can't be a real name.

Can it?

J sub D | June 21, 2007, 5:43pm | #

You would think a simple memo explaining that wireless, unencrypted comminications are NOT secure would be enough.

Also, to paraphrase an ad campaign, What goes on the web, stays on the web.

GOVERNMENT AGENT POSING AS SOMEONE NAMED GILMORE | June 21, 2007, 5:46pm | #

TO: Control
FROM: Secret Government Blog Surveillance Agent AC-Q4625

Report to HQ: Identified possible subvesive activity - agent codenamed "Rimfax". Trade IP and forward home address to local SWAT Team. Recommend "accidental" termination.

GOVERNMENT AGENT POSING AS SOMEONE NAMED GILMORE | June 21, 2007, 5:47pm | #

Oh shit!

re: *trace* IP

now i'm pwned!

Pro Libertate | June 21, 2007, 5:57pm | #

I believe that there was some question back in the analog cell phone days about whether the use of an analog cell phone was malpractice if an attorney was using it to give advice to a client. Because the call could be so easily intercepted.

Rimfax | June 21, 2007, 6:08pm | #

I AM NOT TYPING THIS UNDER DURESS. I AM TYPING THIS OF MY OWN FREE WILL. MY PREVIOUS STATEMENTS WERE COMPLETELY FALSE AND WERE CAUSED BY DISORIENTATION DUE TO A BAD BURRITO PURCHASED FROM A LEPROUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. THERE IS NO INTEL COOPERATION AMONG U.S. ALLIES. I AM NOT ON A WATER BOARD. I SSSSSSWEAR IT.

Rimfax | June 21, 2007, 6:11pm | #

I vaguely recall some concern years ago about the PRC haxoring into the RIM network to snoop on crackberried colonels, so the French government might be reasonably concerned about them, too. It's probably far more PC in France to blame just the US than to also blame their buddies in the UN Security Council.

LarryA | June 21, 2007, 6:17pm | #

You would think a simple memo explaining that wireless, unencrypted comminications are NOT secure would be enough.

We're talking about politicians.

Eric the .5b | June 21, 2007, 6:30pm | #

If the U.S. government continues to monitor the transactions of its own citizens, why would they suddenly respect the French's privacy. We may even be starting to develop a reputation in the world...

Er, one word: Echelon. Another word: Carnivore. The cat's been out of the bag on that issue for years before this site debuted.

Paul | June 21, 2007, 7:36pm | #

Er, one word: Echelon

I thought Echelon was another one of those conspiracies made so by the lack of evidence for it.

Max | June 21, 2007, 7:46pm | #

It is typical French arrogance to think that anyone would want to read their Blackberry messages.

FinFangFoom | June 21, 2007, 7:46pm | #

Sheesh, people, of course we spy on the French. We spy on everyone. It would be negligent of us not to.

Grotius | June 21, 2007, 9:26pm | #

It is most accurate to say that everyone spies on everyone.

Marcvs | June 22, 2007, 8:35am | #

They're forgetting one thing: why the fuck would we care what a third-rate former world power is doing anyway?

Man in Grotius' Closet | June 22, 2007, 10:31am | #

It is most accurate to say that everyone spies on everyone.

That's for sure!

Moose that Knows the Value of Not Being Seen | June 22, 2007, 10:42am | #

PEEK A BOO!

[hides]

Isaac Bartram | June 22, 2007, 10:58am | #

Aresen, I assume your impending war on France is due to the whole Quebec thing?

If they won't take Quebec back, it will have to be war...

I remember when De Gaulle made the "vive le Quebec Libre" speech that made him persona non grata in Canada.

That and his decision to pull out of NATO and pursue "selfish" French national interests made France even more hated in Canada than in the US for a time.

In spite of their linguistic preference les Quebecois have no great love pour La Belle France. In addition to souviening The British imperial conquest they also remember a distant and indifferent French imperial administraion mostly interest in the province for the resources that could be brought home.

thoreau | June 22, 2007, 1:54pm | #

Be nice to the French, guys. If it weren't for them we'd be speaking British right now.

Don't you realise how much that would suck?

Stevo Darkly | June 22, 2007, 8:02pm | #

joe | June 21, 2007, 4:49pm | #

Hey, I loves me some smelly, cowardly Frenchman humor.

But actually using silly comedy about the French to make a political point is lame.

Oh, it's just a little joke -- why so touchy, joe?

Or should I say ... jeau????

John Thomas Sterile | June 22, 2007, 8:04pm | #

"Jonathan Blanks" can't be a real name.

Can it?

No, it's obviously a fake.

McNicol | June 23, 2007, 12:57am | #

Pious Candy Assed Sidewinder, Learn some history before you try to comment on it. The French did bravely defend their homeland in WWI to the tune of over a million dead soldiers. A greater price than the US has paid in any war. Nice try at throwing a stupid snarky comment about the French out. Now go back to watching Fox and eating freedom fries. Idiot.

ad | June 23, 2007, 5:05pm | #

If the U.S. government continues to monitor the transactions of its own citizens, why would they suddenly respect the French's privacy? We may even be starting to develop a reputation in the world...


If you think it is so terrible to spy on the defence officials of foreign countries, you must have a pretty low opinion of Alan Turing...