Just before its most important smartphones get released in the market, BlackBerry has received the most harmful critic from the most unusual person. Believe it or not, whistleblower and former NSA analyst Edward Snowden blasted against these mobile devices, claiming that the brand will be erased from pages of history because of its weak stance on privacy.
Edward Snowden Highlighted BlackBerry´s Privacy Issue
According to the International Business Times, Edward Snowden made this harmful statement during a Canadian technology conference on January 18, in reference to the revelation about how the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) obtained access to the BlackBerry´s global encryption key in order to decode communications at will.
Naturally, Snowden considers that this is a case that clearly shows the way in which BlackBerry doesn't care about customers privacy, which is an issue that could be really harmful to its intention of making a hit this year with its new mobile devices, considering that this is something that users care more than ever. In fact, Edward Snowden compared this case to the experience of Apple, which was recently locked into a huge clash with the Federal Bureau of Investigation over a court order demanding it circumvent the encryption on an iPhone gathered from the possession of terrorist linked to the Islamic State.
It Is Not Known How Snowden´s Words Could Affect BlackBerry
As reported by The Inquirer, Edward Snowden explained that a company must stand up for what is right, and make a principled stand that could do more good for the future of a society rather than for its own interests. For him, this is exactly the reason why BlackBerry is going to fail, given the fact that these actions in which the company are willing to compromise customers´ privacy, can eventually become something that could destroy its reputation and the users´ confidence in the brand.
Although BlackBerry has defended its position on this issue, it is not known how Edward Snowden´s words can affect its image weeks before the release of its upcoming smartphone BlackBerry Mercury, which is expected to be a mobile device that can help the company restore its old importance in the market.
