“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.
[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.”
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.
Copyright © 2010 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.