RIM denies handing over encryption keys to India

Conflicting reports emerged yesterday on BlackBerry smartphone maker Research in Motion (RIM) handing over encryption keys of its popular messenger services and corporate email to the Indian government.

RIM had roped in Verint, a New York-based security software maker, who demonstrated the interception of all messages and emails exchanged between BlackBerry handsets, and make these readable to Indian security agencies, The Economic Times reported, citing an exchange of communications between RIM and the Indian government.

But a Reuters report put out just a few hours after ET report, said that RIM categorically denied this claim of having granted the Indian government the encryption keys to its messaging services and corporate email.

The Ontario-based company however said that in accordance with the government telecom rules, it has given a lawful solution to BlackBerry consumer traffic just like other competing smartphone manufacturers have done, but it vehemently denied that it has given any access to corporate email services.

"RIM is providing an appropriate lawful access solution that enables India's telecom operators to be legally compliant with respect to their BlackBerry consumer traffic, to the same degree as other smartphone providers in India, but this does not extend to secure BlackBerry enterprise communications," RIM said in a statement.

Fed up with its dilatory tactics since 2008, Indian authorities had demanded in August 2010 that RIM put a proxy server in the country or shut down its messenger and enterprise services.