India has again threatened to ban BlackBerry services in the country.
the country's communications ministry has stated that manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) has not provided it with the access to secure instant messaging and email services that it promised.
RIM enabled the Indian security agencies to intercept secure messages sent via its BlackBerry Messenger software back in December, but has refused to divulge specific encryption keys.
India's BlackBerry security concerns stem from the fact that BlackBerry email, web browsing and instant messaging is handled by servers in RIM's home country of Canada. The Indian government believes this is a grave risk to its national security risk as it seeks to track terrorists, and has demanded access to encryption keys to allow them to access the data.
According to an internal note from the Indian communications ministry seen by the Economic times in India, BlackBerry has the infrastructure for solutions that would allow agencies to track messages and monitor internet traffic, but had not provided "the architect of the solution as well as the communication path for the service".
RIM says it cannot provide the information since the systems and networks it uses were not designed to enable the information being transmitted on them to be seen. To get around this, India wants RIM to establish a server in India, said the government department note.
However, the note also said that "no guarantee can be given for not banning the service" because RIM had so far not responded to the request, meaning the government's threat to ban BlackBerry services in the country still remains.
India's Home Secretary Gopal K. Pillai re-iterated the warning, telling reporters: "It's not a question of their giving access. Under law, they have to give access, everybody has to give access. Whoever gives access will be allowed to operate. Whoever does not give access will not be allowed to operate."
BlackBerry security has been an issue in a number of countries including the United Arab Emirates. India and RIM have been in dialogue for some time, although RIM pulled out of negotiations in January following a number of media links in India about the nature of the discussions between the two parties.
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