India has reaffirmed their rigid stance over the regulation of communication services which aren’t completely transparent to the country’s security agencies. According to the officials, those companies like Research in Motion’s Blackberry which allow the users to communicate through messages which are encrypted by the company but those which the government agencies cannot monitor as the companies don’t share the encryption codes with them, will not be let to operate in the country if they don’t cooperate with the government on the issue. Gopal K. Pillai, the federal Home Secretary, said that it wasn’t upon RIM to give access to the officials. As it is the word of the law, every service provider in the country has to give that access to the government or they won’t be allowed to operate in India.
Mr. Pillai’s responses had come after media queries asking whether the officials had been allowed by RIM to intercept its encrypted corporate email and messaging services. RIM had announced some time ago that it won’t be able to accept the government’s demands to allow them to intercept the corporate email services; it had, however, provided full support to monitor its Blackberry Messaging services and internet browsing on its smartphones.
These demands from India arise due to growing concerns about the encrypted corporate emails which could be conveniently used by terrorists for intercommunication as they weren’t under any security agency’s surveillance. RIM had until January 31 to respond to these demands and provide the required access to the government agencies. Recent statements from the country’s officials say that security agencies are consulting separate cell phone operators; and not RIM, for gaining access to these encrypted corporate emails, which indirectly increases pressure on the Canadian firm to comply with them. The telecom policies of the country allow it to stop the services of any telecom provider which refuses to grant full access to all of its communication services.
