Remember that BlackBerry update we told you about last week? Well it looks like Etisalat has indeed infected about 145,000 BlackBerry units with spyware which could be used to spy on customers’ SMS messages. Here’s what RIM had to say about the whole issue:

Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application… independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorized access to private or confidential information stored on the user’s smartphone. Independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server.

RIM does not approve such measures especially as said update hasn’t been authorized by RIM. Therefore the company is offering you a fix, an app remover which will let you enjoy your Berry spyware free.

What’s amazing is that Etisalat is not admitting doing anything wrong. According to the UAE carrier the update was “required for service enhancements.”

via Engadget