RIM: ‘no change’ to BlackBerry Enterprise Server in India

By Chloe Albanesius | Updated on 31-Dec-2010

31-Dec-2010

Research in Motion on Thursday shot down a report from The Economic Times that said RIM had offered to install “a network data analysis system” in India to settle a security dispute with regulators.

“Unfortunately, the story in The Economic Times contains inaccurate and misleading information, presumably as a result of confusion over terminology and a lack of understanding about the different security models inherent in BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES),” RIM said in a statement.

RIM also denied that it is facing a January 31 for compliance and reiterated that its position on BES is unchanged.

[RELATED_ARTICLE]”There will be no change to the security model of BES,” RIM said. “The government of India has in fact accepted and acknowledged that any concerns about the use of strong encryption for corporate and government data is not a matter specific to BlackBerry and that lawful access to such encrypted data is actually an industry matter.”

The network data analysis system mentioned in the article is “simply the name of a tool required to allow carriers in India to provide lawful access to RIM’s consumer services, including BBM,” RIM said. RIM’s competitors in India are also required to provide this type of lawful access, according to RIM.

The Times said the network data analysis system “has the capabilities to automatically decode all data flowing on RIM’s network, and also ensure that intercepted and decoded information will not travel outside the country, at the premises of mobile phone companies.”

At issue is a July request from the Indian government that RIM allow it to monitor activity on BlackBerry services; India threatened to shut down BlackBerry services in the country by August 31 if its demands were not met, but that deadline was eventually delayed. Officials want access to content traveling over the BlackBerry network for security purposes.

In October, India’s Press Information Bureau said “RIM has set up an interim arrangement for lawful interception of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) services,” but did not elaborate.

The controversy in India isn’t the only roadblock RIM has faced this fall. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had similar concerns related to data monitoring. RIM is still in talks with the Saudi government, but the UAE dropped plans for an October 11 ban.