Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: Blackberry blackout threat leaves CEOs aghast

Blackberry blackout threat leaves CEOs aghast
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TechTeam on 08 March, 2008 06:18:00
 
Anil Sardana, Managing Director of TTSL, told reporters in New Delhi this
morning that they were told by the MHA that the BlackBerry service does not
allow for "lawful interception" mandated for all Value Added Services (VAS).
when Tata Tele asked DoT why other operators were being allowed, the DoT fired
off letters to existing BlackBerry providers seeking an explanation. Sources
also say that two rounds of discussion have happened between these operators and
the MHA. A final call is expected to be taken in a meeting with the Telecom
Secretary next week.
A spokesperson from RIM – the company that offers the BlackBerry service
– said: "RIM supports its carrier partners in India and we will work
together with them to seek further clarity."
Security experts we spoke to were sceptical of the claim, saying that in June
last year the French government had advised officials not to use BlackBerry
services for precisely the opposite reasons. At that time, officals at RIM
claimed that even they did not have access to the data on their servers (a
questionable claim in itself), an explanation that could have them in a spot
when they meet with Indian authorities.
Of course, it is also sceptical about the national security bogey being brought
up on every occasion. Indeed, the last thing the increasingly tech-savvy
terrorist is likely to use is a BlackBerry. After all, he will either have to
use corporate email or operator-provided mail (@blackberry.airtel.in, for
example) both of which are easily traceable – it's not like RIM is a
company that's going to disappear overnight.Nevertheless, it's tense times ahead
for India's crackberries!