The report states that during a high-level meeting, media persons were informed of the move. Permission from RIM for direct linkage for lawful interception was expected to be granted shortly. This will allow the legal cover for interception of messages.
In 2010, India had threatened to ban RIM's propriety messaging service, the BlackBerry Messenger after it was allegedly used by the 2008 Mumbai attackers to coordinate attacks. India had threatened RIM to grant its security agencies access to its encrypted messaging system, or pack its bags. The UAE followed suit.
In the arrangement, RIM, BlackBerry's handset manufacturer and consumer services provider, will give Indian security agencies a roundabout access to its servers.
These servers, 5000 in number, serve BlackBerry Enterprise Services. They receive messages from devices in an encrypted form. They then decrypt the message before sending it to the email server service provider via an email, where they are stored in a decrypted form. They are then re-encrypted before being pushed on to the target consumer.
The agreement between RIM and the government of India puts the onus of providing access on the service provider level.
As per Indian telecom licensing conditions, service providers are liable to install mechanisms to allow security agencies to intercept any conversation or message of any subscriber whenever required.
The report further mentioned India's Department of Telecommunications’ intentions to run a similar program with Nokia and their push mail system.
COMMENTS (18)
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Pak will not do now until they face similar situatio? It wil resolve memogate issue which govt would not want. In ke neyat hi nahin hay?
@operator convention, If pakistan gets, Only the Right hand will come to know what the Left hand is doing, nothing great will happen.
Left side is not equal to Right side. Pakistan will never demand it. bcoz unlike india it will be detrimental to it's security doctrine.
@Travian: What do you mean. Blackberry is now an average device compared to Iphone Pakistanis are used to buying :P No seriously, its a standard procedure to give blackberries as part of fringe benefits in Pakistani firms
@ Ayesha - You are right ! But, guess what RIM is not much concerned because, it doesn't have much to lose if Pakistan bans its BBM services. But, it will be a great loss if India does the same. India has more than a million Blackberry users.
You should not follow India
Left side is not equal to Right side
We should learn from India ,not only they have obtained the source code now Indian telecom can monitor and peek all the messaging on RIM black berry .Where as Pakistan could not even obtain record of one black barry set .
None of the Pakistanis commenting over here have seen a blackberry let alone own one. So its a no brainer why any pakistani demand for equating itself with India will be thrown in the dustbin.
Then why did RIM said no to Pakistan in providing information in Hussain Haqqani case. Double standards.
Pakistan can ask anything. But problem is nobody will give it to them. Pakistan can only compare itself to Afghanistan. Thanks to the Guls and Hafiz Saeeds.
When Pakistan's security agencies demand the same, they are branded as voilating privacy rights or whatever else caboodle the HRW usually comes up with. And our English media follows the rhetoric withouth giving it a second thought. Double standards much?
We don't use the word "agencies" in India!! It is either Police, or CBI, or RAW (if they are formally involved). There are no sinister shadowy 'Agencies"
@OperatorConvention: But imagine if we demanded before India or somoene else did... Liberals & our beloved neigjbours would be screaming 7th century all that way to Gymkhana.
Great Job, Set the game according to your rules
@OperatorConvention "Pakistan should demand the same."
What purpose will it serve for the pakistani intelligence agency besides them catching themselves red-handed?
Pakistan should demand the same.
I think that Pakistan should also follow the suit for the benefit of country.
There should be no confidential messages passed on to each other through Blackberry and the government must know as what is happening to protect the interest of Pakistan.