RIM's engagement with Indian government officials may keep
BlackBerry users from losing e-mail and instant messaging
service
The deadline for compliance had been Tuesday, August 31, 2010.
The government of India on Monday said that it has agreed to review
RIM's proposals to accommodate government demands for lawful access
over the course of the next 60 days.
At the conclusion of the review period, India's Department of
Telecommunications is expected to submit a report that will
determine the BlackBerry's future in the country. The government
agency will also study whether RIM's communications services for
BlackBerry users can be provided using a server based in India.
RIM on Friday said that establishing a server in India wouldn't
help make BlackBerry data any more accessible.
India's government insists that it needs access to all
telecommunications data for the sake of national security; RIM
meanwhile insists that it is unable to decrypt BlackBerry
communications because it does not have access to the encryption
keys, which it says are held by its customers
India is not alone in seeking access to electronic communications
as an ostensible security measure. In early August, the United Arab
Emirates said that it plans to suspend BlackBerry e-mail and
instant messaging starting October 11, 2010 because it cannot
access the encrypted communications.
Also in early August, Saudi Arabia’s Communications and
Information Technology Commission said it had decided to allow
BlackBerry use to continue in the kingdom because RIM had been
making progress toward supporting a system that would allow the
desired level of data monitoring.
For its part, RIM continues to maintain that it cannot provide
customers' encryption keys and that it provides governments with
the same level of cooperation.
"In fact, while RIM does not disclose confidential regulatory
discussions that take place with any government, RIM assures both
its customers in India and the Government of India that RIM
maintains a consistent global standard for lawful access
requirements that does not include special deals for specific
countries," the company said in a statement on Friday.