No special deal for specific countries: RIM

Company does not have a master key to access encrypted info

PTI | August 27, 2010



Four days ahead of the deadline given by the government to provide solutions for monitoring contents, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion today said the company does not have a "master key" to gain access to encrypted corporate information.

"RIM does not possess a 'master key', nor does any 'back door' exist in the system that would allow RIM or any third party, under any circumstances, to gain access to encrypted corporate information," the company said in a statement.

The Canadian company asserted that it maintains a consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has instructed all telecom service providers to ensure that a technical solution for interception and monitoring of BlackBerry services in readable format is made available to the law enforcing agencies by August 31, 2010.

RIM noted that it would be unable to accommodate any request for a copy of a customer's encryption key "since at no time does RIM, ever possess a copy of the key".

The smart-phone-maker has a subscriber base of one million in India.

The security agencies and RIM are likely to hold a meeting to decide the fate of Blackberry services in India, ahead of the expiry of the deadline.

Pointing out that strong encryption in wireless technology is not unique to the BlackBerry platform, the statement said that such encryption is a fundamental commercial requirement for any country to attract and maintain international business.

"Singling out and banning one solution, such as the BlackBerry solution, would be ineffective and counter productive," the company said.

According to the statement, RIM is extending an offer to the Government, to lead an industry forum focused on supporting lawful access needs of law enforcement agencies while preserving legitimate information security needs of corporations and other organisations in India.

"In particular, the industry forum would work closely with the Indian Government and focus on developing recommendations for policies and processes aimed at preventing the misuse of strong encryption technologies while preserving its many societal benefits in India," it said.

The company has assured the Indian Government of continued support and "respect for India's legal and national security requirements," the statement added.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Mofussils: Musings from the Margins

Provincials: Postcards from the Peripheries By Sumana Roy Aleph Book Company, 320 pages, Rs 899 Sumana Roy’s latest work, like its p

How to promote local participation in knowledge sharing

Knowledge is a powerful weapon to help people and improve their lives. Knowledge provides the tools to understand society, solve problems, and empower people to overcome challenges and experience personal growth. Limited sources were available to attain information on the events in and arou

‘The Civil Servant and Super Cop: Modesty, Security and the State in Punjab’

Punjabi Centuries: Tracing Histories of Punjab Edited by Anshu Malhotra Orient BlackSwan, 404 pages, Rs. 2,150

What really happened in ‘The Scam That Shook a Nation’?

The Scam That Shook a Nation By Prakash Patra and Rasheed Kidwai HarperCollins, 276 pages, Rs 399 The 1970s were a

Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure released

The final ‘Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure’ by ‘India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development’ was released in New Delhi on Monday. The Task Force was led by the

How the Great War of Mahabharata was actually a world war

Mahabharata: A World War By Gaurang Damani Sanganak Prakashan, 317 pages, Rs 300 Gaurang Damani, a Mumbai-based el

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter