South Africa’s Deputy Communications Minister Obed Bapela says government is considering decrypting BlackBerry messages "if crimes are committed using the BlackBerry service".

What that means exactly I’m not sure, sounds like a meshugass.

Alas, it is not. It seems to be the latest gov-trend since the UK and United Arab Emirates have called for the same formal regulation after the London riots and Arab state uprisings respectively.

This regulation would give police authority to access messages sent via the BlackBerry chat service.

Despite many South African’s being appalled at the potential spy game that could occur, many are forgetting that our country already has a legislation which allows such intrusion of our mobile phone privacy; the Regulation of Interception of Communication Act (Rica).

While it was advertised as “one of government’s key crime prevention initiatives towards making South Africa a safer place to live and work” the bottom line was that we did not have a choice, RICA was compulsory for all SIM card holders and millions registered not understanding the full extent of this regulation.

Whatsupp next?

What needs to be understood is that it is not just about BBM. Other mobile chatting platforms like Whatsapp and Mxit are sure to be included in this RICA spygame.

I can’t help but wonder whether this may be the first of many attempts by government to invade people’s privacy in the name of ‘security’. Soon it could be email and landline phone interception. It will be like living in the apartheid or a communist regime.

According to numerous articles dealing with this topic, Bapela has not yet discussed such plans with BlackBerry’s Research in Motion (RIM) but hopes they will comply given the “high level of crime in South Africa.”

RIM would need to co-operate in order for the success of message decryption. RIM has come to the party in other countries where governments have raised the same concern.

So it will be interesting to see how they react to South Africa given there is no full proof information that crime syndicates are organising their unlawful activities through BBM.

Ta-ta free speech

As the debate goes, free flow of information on social networks and platforms like BBM or Whatsapp can be used for good and evil. But, will South Africa be willing to give up their freedom of speech/expression to a government who does not have a great track record of fighting crime.

I would imagine that citizens would be more willing to participate if this regulation came as a government’s final resort.

Bapela jumped on the bandwagon after the UK argued that the BBM tool was used to encourage rioting for those who would never have previously participated exacerbated by the fact that according to Arthur Goldstuck, 37% of UK youth used BBM.

What is concerning is that since the aftermath of the London riots, it became clear that it was not BBM which coordinated riots but rather social networks, Facebook and Twitter.

So the question remains, is it a matter of time before our Facebook and Twitter profiles are hacked?

How will it work!?

So, we have 11 official languages. 12 if you include TXT language. How on earth could the government decode this:

image:http://bit.ly/oQyKj6

“Mary I’m leaving, I’m going to Australia.”

I was watching Trevor Noah’s “Daywalker” this weekend. He is a comical genius and is particularly good at ridiculing all of our rainbow nation’s races in their unique accents.

“Around election time is when you see the most panic in South Africa. You hear them (white South Africans) whispering, ‘I’m leaving, I’m leaving I’m going to Australia.’

After Madiba’s reign as president, people panicked again. “Now that Mandela has gone they are going to eat us. I’m going to Australia”

Then we had Kgalema Motlanthe.  “I can’t believe it I didn’t even vote! One minute I go to bed and Thabo is our president and next thing I wake up and Kagleme Montlalalalalal is our president. I’m going to Australia, Mary, this time I’m leaving!”

“Then its Jacob’s turn...the original boogie man. And for the first time the Black South Africans were asking “eish...how much is that ticket to Australia?”

After hearing about this BBM saga taking place on government level, all I could think about was Trevor Noah’s rendition of South African’s response to this....

Well I have tweeted him so will get back to you if he responds.

What do you think the joke would be?