A rumour has been going round that the Saudi authorities are about the cut off the BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM) – much to the annoyance of its customers. According to versions the cut-off was due to happen last Saturday, though it hasn't materialised yet.

The story began when al-Watan newspaper reported that the Saudi Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) demanded access to the codes so that it could monitor messages, and threatened to shut down the service if this was refused.

It would be no surprise if the Saudi authorities are wanting to read people's messages but Research in Motion, the Canadian company behind BlackBerry seems to have heard nothingofficially. Similarly, the mobile phone companies affected by the reported move say they have received no instructions to stop BBM.

Meanwhile, students at the King Abdulaziz University are complaining about new campus rules which include a ban on mobile phones and laptops that have built-in cameras.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 7 March 2010.