Indonesia threaten Blackberry

A THREAT by Indonesia to curb BlackBerry smartphone services unless the company filters pornographic sites prompted a wave of angry protests online on Sunday.

The row is the latest in a series of controversies that BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has found itself in, as a number of governments have complained about difficulties monitoring communications via the smartphones.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring has given RIM a two-week deadline to block access or risk restrictions being imposed, according to local reports.

'We have repeatedly asked them to do it and we have given them some time,' Mr Sembiring was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe newspaper on Saturday.

'If they keep delaying, we will shut down their operation here because they fail to comply with our laws,' he added. Details of the extent of any curbs were unclear.

His statement had drawn protests on microblogging site Twitter on Sunday however. 'Can you guarantee that the flow of pornography will be reduced after BB is blocked?' user Tiffanywilliam wrote, among many other protesters.

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