RIM likely to get ultimatum to set up server

Top sources in the Department of Telecom told Deccan Herald that the government is firm in its stand that unless the RIM—makers of BlackBerry —set up its server in India and allows the Indian security agencies to intercept its data, it will not be allowed to run its service in the country. 

Though the Canadian firm has offered “metadata” and relevant information to security agencies, which will enable them lawful interception, the government was not satisfied with it, sources said.

Loosely defined as data about data, “metadata” provides information about an item’s content such as the largeness of the picture, the colour depth, the image resolution and when the image was created.

RIM representatives explained that BlackBerry mobile device sends the encrypted email which is sent to BlackBerry Enterprise Server located with the service provider.

“The security agencies are not satisfied with this, as they want an uninterrupted access to the messaging services on the BlackBerry platform. What they have offered is little.

The DoT is likely to ask the RIM to set up a server in India like the company had agreed in Saudi Arabia on the behest of that country’s security agencies,” sources said. The company server is located in Canada. 

While India has demanded that the RIM should share encryption keys to track all BlackBerry services, the Canadian company has expressed its inability, saying even it cannot read encrypted information.

The Home Ministry has decided to convene a meeting next week with all telecom operators offering BlackBerry services to address security concerns over possible misuse of encrypted data sent on such devices.

In the meeting, the ministry will make it clear that the intention of the Indian government was not to intrude into someone’s privacy but to drive home the point that the country’s security concerns cannot be compromised, the official said.

“Our discussions with Research in Motion are on. But mobile phone service providers are also bound by their licence agreements to allow security agencies access to their voice and data under certain conditions,” an official in the home ministry said.“Even if the Canadian company is reluctant to allow us access to encrypted data carried on BlackBerry devices, Indian telecom service providers can’t violate their agreements with the government,” the official said.