RIM reaches deal with Saudi Arabia, dodging BlackBerry ban

Research in Motion remained tight-lipped as Saudi Arabian officials said the company has reached a preliminary deal that would allow the kingdom’s government to access BlackBerry users’ encrypted data, averting a ban on the handsets in that country. The agreement would involve placing a server inside Saudi borders, an official told the Associated Press Saturday. The move would likely let the government monitor messages and allay the country’s concern that Blackberries could be used for criminal purposes, said Bandar al-Mohammed, an official at the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission.