RIM refuses to cave in fully to Indian demands

Blackberry maker Research In Motion has said it would allow Indian security agencies only legal monitoring of data of its subscribers, although India has asked the smartphone vendor to provide access to e-mail and messenger data or a face ban.

"The only time we allow carriers to access the data sent via BlackBerry devices is in the case of national security situations, and even then, only as governed by the country's judicial oversight and rules of law," the Canada-based Research In Motion (RIM) said in a statement.

India has threatened to shut down BlackBerry e-mail and instant messaging services by 31 August unless RIM grants security agencies the technology to decrypt BlackBerry communications.

Although some experts have said that RIM's decision to only allow access to its data when ordered to do so by a judge might be problematic in certain countries where the judiciary is less than impartial, the company said that it maintains a "consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries".