India warns RIM over messaging services access

India had threatened RIM that it would shut off Blackberry messaging services if its authorities were not allowed access to them. India has voiced security concerns in the past few months over unmonitored e-mail and messaging that might put the country's security at risk.

India, is among several other countries to have expressed concerns that BlackBerry services could be pose a security risk.

Indian authorities had on 30 August said that the Canadian firm had offered to allow monitoring in a number of ways and the government said it would check their feasibility over the next 60 days.

Data originating from non-RIM devices is not difficult to intercept and requires only the carrier's approval whereas RIM says its data is not accessible to carriers.

India also is also pushing RIM and other internet communications providers including Google and Skype to set up local servers and allow full traffic monitoring.