France see spies under Blackberry Bush

French politicians are being banned from using their Blackberrys for fear of hi-tech snooping by US and UK security agencies.

The Blackberry, or Le blackberry as it is known in France, is no longer allowed inside the presidential palace and government ministries, according to a new security memo from the General Secretariat for National Defense. The decision arrives just as UK MPs are about to have a ban lifted that will allow them to use their Blackberrys inside the House of Commons.

The Secretariat claimed that because Blackberry data passes through servers in the US and UK, it makes that traffic potentially insecure and a target for electronic espionage. One French lawmaker, Pierre Lasbordes, who was asked by former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin to look into these issues, claimed the decision to ban Blackberrys has little to do France not trusting its allies and more to do with protecting itself in the ongoing "economic war".

Speaking with Le Monde, Alain Juillet, in charge of economic intelligence for the government, said: " Blackberrys pose a problem with the protection of information....the risks of interception are real."

However, Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has reacted angrily to the French call for 'thumbs-down', claiming emails cannot be read by the NSA or anyone else since the encryption used is stronger than online banking Web sites.

It added: "No one, including RIM, has the ability to view the content of any data communication sent using the Blackberry Enterprise Solution."