p2pnet - rss feed: RIM, India, in Blackberry ’spy’ talks
p2pnet news | Security:- Canada’s Research in Motion (RIM) and authorities in India are still discussing Indian security concerns over the use of BlackBerry-enabled mobile phone services.
The Indian government wants to be able to read Blackberry emails without the knowledge or permission of recipients or senders, and RIM is reported to have turned down the demand.
Talks, “remained inconclusive,” says the Times of India, going on to quote an official of the department of telecommunications (DoT) as saying, “We will meet again to resolve the issue with the RIM.”
The Indian government, “is understood to have reiterated its security concerns on the use of BlackBerry-enabled mobile phones and asked RIM to share security codes,” says the story, going on RIM officials were accompanied at the meeting by representatives from the Canadian Embassy.
“The communication and information technology ministry had earlier written to RIM, asking it to put up servers in India, which would help securities agencies to monitor its services,” says the Times.
“This is to enable the security agencies to track emails and other messages as and when the need arises,” says the DoT official in the story.
Indian security agencies, “have pointed out that BlackBerry’s email device poses a risk as emails sent using it cannot be traced or intercepted,” it states, adding:
“But RIM told the government it was not possible to share the security codes with it as its servers were located in Canada.”
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.Stumble It!
read Blackberry emails - India wants to snoop Blackberry emails, May 22, 2008
Times of India - RIM, Indian officials to meet again over BlackBerry issue, May 29, 2008
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May 30th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Blatant disregard for personal and basic privacy, also written about it here:
http://ezee.se/articles-blog/2008/05/27/another-reason-why-india-sucks/
May 30th, 2008 at 7:21 am
You know, just once I’d love to see someone write this story accurately. The only people who have gotten it right are RIM in their last press release. Even Gartner has no clue.
It’s not because the servers are in Canada, it’s because the tech doesn’t friggin work that way!
BlackBerry uses a private key exchange - half the key is generated at the BlackBerry device, the other is generated at the friggin BlackBerry server which the company is in possession of. They make an exchange of keys either by a direct USB/ local area network connection or over the air using AES256 encapsulation. RIM has no friggin way to see the friggin packets and see the friggin key. They have NO HAND IN THE KEY GENERATION. All they see is the email address, BlackBerry device & BlackBerry server IP address/license. That’s it. Nothing else. PERIOD! If the Indian govt wants to be a bunch of backward morons, knock yourselves out but do it on your own time. Welcome to the 21st century.