What makes a Blackberry different from other cell phones? The simple answer is that Blackberries run on a network owned and operated by the manufacturer, Canada's Research in Motion (RIM). It makes the phones and controls the Blackberry phone network around the world. Several countries, including India and Saudia Arabia, want access to that information, for security purposes they say, and they’ve threatened to ban the phones is RIM refuses to give them that access. We speak to internet freedom analyst Robert Guerra about why this is such an important issue and how it will affect all Canadians.

Website: http://www.freedomhouse.org

Photo: A man uses his BlackBerry in Ahmadabad, India. Canada's Research in Motion (RIM) hopes to rock the telecom world with its new BlackBerry Torch smart phone. But security-obsessed officials in some countries are carrying anything but a torch for RIM's services. India, among others, is in talks with RIM over how information is managed on the devices as they fear more wireless-phone directed attacks such as the one on Mumbai that left 166 dead. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)