India Sets Deadline For RIM Compliance

The Indian government has confirmed the deadline of 31 August for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion to give the country’s mobile operators access to its encrypted messenger and email services.

Mobile operators in India have received formal messages, telling them they must install equipment to monitor BlackBerry services. Tata Teleservices – one of the country’s telecoms giants – issued a statement claiming the letter instructed it to “ensure that legal intervention capability is put in place” by the end of the month.

Another major mobile operator which provides BlackBerry services also confirmed receiving the letter from the government, according to Reuters.

The Indian government has said it will shut down BlackBerry services if the smartphone maker does not meet its demands.

UAE and Saudi bans

In early August the United Arab Emirates announced it was planning to block RIM’s BlackBerry handsets from sending emails, accessing the Internet, and delivering instant messages. Saudi Arabia also said it would prevent the use of the BlackBerry-to-BlackBerry instant messaging service.

The governments claimed the device could be a security risk because its instant messaging, email and SMS use a level of encryption that prevents the security services from monitoring users. There was even some suggestion that the handsets could be used by insurgents for terror attacks.

The Saudi ban was by far the most pressing for RIM, as it had until 6 August to negotiate a suitable arrangement with the Saudi government. Despite RIM stating that it would not compromise on security, it emerged the smartphone maker was holding last ditch talks, and eventually RIM was forced allowed the Saudi government to monitor its email data.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates claims to be making “good progress” in its talks with RIM, and hopes to “reach conclusions in the near future”, according to Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the United States. Asked whether the negotiations could lead to a suspension of the BlackBerry services ban in the UAE, Otaibi said “I hope so”.

However, the investigations in UAE, India and Saudi Arabia have prompted a host of other countries – including Indonesia, Turkey, and Lebanon – to enter negotiations with RIM over the same issue.

Tapping BlackBerry traffic

While privacy advocates argue that the authorities in these countries are using the anti-terrorism argument as an excuse to monitor day-to-day communications, it is worth noting that authorities in the United States and in European countries such as Britain and Germany can seek a court order to tap BlackBerry traffic, giving them access to messages sent over the network.

“The ability to tap communications is a part of surveillance and intelligence and law enforcement all over the world,” said Mark Rasch, former head of the computer crimes unit at the US Department of Justice.

In the cases of Saudi Arabia, India and the UAE, governments have complained that RIM will not give them the same amount of access to tap into BlackBerry networks that other countries get, according to Reuters. Officials at Research In Motion have declined to discuss how they provide and designate such access.

UK and India collaborate on ICT

Last month, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced the launch of an “Enabling Innovation” programme, designed to deliver an increase in bilateral trade and investment between the UK and Indian ICT industries.

“Science and technology have the capacity to transform lives for the better in both India and the UK. That’s why I’m delighted that the UK and India are working together at the very top end of the technology spectrum,” said Business Secretary Vince Cable.