Even the government shutdown is bad news for BlackBerry

They just can’t seem to catch a break. In one of the last reliable homes for their smartphones, the US government, the upcoming shutdown is going to affect the Canadian phone manufacturer.

That’s because if the government shuts down next Tuesday, furloughed federal workers could be violating the law if they do something as simple as check their work e-mail.

The Antideficiency Act, passed by Congress during Chester Arthur’s administration, prevents non-working federal employees from doing any job-related functions during a shutdown if the government cannot pay for it.