Dutch intelligence service AIVD has told Dutch MPs to stop using the Blackberry to access their email because their messages are prone to interception, The Register newspaper reports today.

In 2003 one hundred Blackberry handhelds were given to leading politicians and campaign workers from the Dutch CDA (Christian Democratic) party. The concept was that they could access their e-mail wherever they were on the campaign trail.

"Being able to react to and agree on things rapidly is essential," Dutch Premier and leader of the CDA Jan Peter Balkenende told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf when the devices are received.

Now almost every Dutch MP owns a Blackberry. However, last year Dutch intelligence service AIVD had already warned MPs not to discuss anything important through the device because theoretically every message can be intercepted, despite the fact that the Blackberry is capable of using Triple DES encryption for data transmission. Unfortunately, end-to-end encryption (where both parties are secured) cannot always be guaranteed.

The Dutch Department of Defense is sticking with BlackBerrys, saying it is using its own solution for securing data transmission