As the news emerged today that Kuwait has asked Canada's Research in Motion to block porn from its devices after the UAE reportedly plans a block on all services on the devices, we ask why the big fuss?

The BlackBerry uses proprietary software that encrypts all wireless transmissions from Blackberry devices, encryption which the Gulf states can't break. The popularity of the Blackberry devices has stemmed in part from the fact that the firm's 'enterprise-class' emailing and messaging software can't be accessed even by the firm itself.

This led to businesses taking up the device, which also syncronizes with a range of e-mail services including Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL, as well as Microsoft or Blackberry Exchange servers' email for companies.

However, some Gulf states, concerned with the half a million business executives and expatriates that access BlackBerry services from the United Arab Emirates, have ordered a ban presumably on the grounds these people are doing something illegal.

"As a result of how BlackBerry data is managed and stored, in their current form, certain Blackberry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions," the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said.

The news follows the United Arab Emirates banning filming of the sequel to Sex and the City, which was forced to film in Morocco. The film was accused of being 'anti-Muslim' and condescending.

The Kuwaiti's have asked RIM to remove 3,000 porn sites from the devices web browsers and have been given an answer 'by end of year.'

Shares in the NASDAQ-listed company fell by as much as 2.7 pct on the news of the ban but recovered by Monday.

Microsoft United Arab Emirates