Research in Motion Ltd, makers of the widely popular BlackBerry, is investigating on reports that regulators in Saudi Arabia are planning to gain control over the smartphone’s messenger service.

According to report, the Saudi Communication and Internet Technology Commission has contacted RIM, whose headquarters is located in Canada. CITC apparently sought access to BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, to be able to monitor communications among the kingdom’s citizens.

According to a statement sent through email, the company is looking into the report and further details will be provided once they are available.

The statement further said that RIM respects the government laws in over 170 countries where it operates.

The report cam the Al-Watan newspaper on Thursday when it alleged that CITC is planning to take over BBM after speculations surfaced that the communications commission would shut the service down.

BlackBerry is widely used in the kingdom, especially among younger Saudis who use BBM more often to send and receive messages from other Blackberry owners.