Why the CrackBerry Crisis Deserves an Explanation, Not a Cover Up

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In what could be called the biggest blunder of the year, BlackBerry devices in North America faced a system-wide outage Tuesday night. Although service is slowly being restored, an elephant of a question remains: How could Research in Motion let this happen?

Digital Journal — More than eight million users of the popular communication gadget couldn’t use the email function starting Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST. A statement from RIM explained, “The root cause is currently under review, but service for most customers was restored overnight and RIM is closely monitoring systems in order to maintain normal service level.”


The BlackBerry’s phone function wasn’t affected.

Reports this morning indicate the CrackBerry Crisis (as we’re calling it) is easing off. Emails are slowly being shuttled from the devices. Bell Canada, one of the handheld’s Canadian carriers, told CBC News service was returning to normal for its customers.

So crisis averted, right? No, not exactly. A massive system failure for 12 hours should not be regarded lightly, especially when it comes to such a ubiquitous technology as the BlackBerry. Imagine if millions of iPods suddenly malfunctioned simultaneously, but Apple recovered by saying the devices are slowly recovering after a half-day of problems. There’d be mass protests at Apple headquarters, complete with burning effigies of Steve Jobs.

Which is why RIM, based out of Waterloo, Ontario, shouldn’t be let off so easy. The cause of the CrackBerry Crisis has yet to discovered, says RIM. How tactful. How secretive. Does it make sense that a leading-edge company can’t sniff out an internal error of seismic proportions? Why won’t RIM help its many customers by giving them a peek into last night’s debacle? The less the company says, the more insecure it looks.

Last night’s blackout also offered a unique glimpse into the technophile psyche. When a BlackBerry user can’t access his email for several hours, expect a freak-out. After all, many of us have become tethered to this handheld device like a baby with a bottle: We cry and pout when we’re left alone with nothing to tap, nothing to forward. So when the CrackBerry Crisis befalls eight million users, you better believe a continent-wide shouting match will begin. Customers will want to know who’s to blame. Businesses will complain they lost dollars and cents from misplaced emails. The one million U.S. federal government and emergency workers who use the device will be especially peeved if the CrackBerry Crisis spoiled a duty of national significance. Basically, we’re learning a lot about how companies handle a problem like this, and how dependent we’ve become on a complex collection of chips, wires and buttons.

For the sake of BlackBerry addicts and RIM’s reputation, here’s hoping the public is treated to a full explanation of what happened on Tuesday night. Anything less would be unacceptable.