IB rejects RIM proposal to decompress Blackbery data
03 May 2008
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has rejected a proposal from Blackberry vendor Research in Motion (RIM) to decompress data sent from Blackberry to non-Blackberry phones, as it means leaking information about the person whose data is being intercepted.
''The proposal was not agreed to by the IB as this leaks the information regarding the person whose information is being intercepted,'' DoT said in a communication to the Canadian High Commission in India.
Blackberry's communication network runs on 256-bit advanced data encryption while Indian security agencies are equipped to intercept signals up to 40-bits only.
The main opposition to the Blackberry device, however, is the storage of communication between Blackberry devices on RIM servers based in Canada, which makes it inaccessible to national security agencies.
The department of telecom (DoT) had proposed local storage of Blackberry data either using servers of telecom operators who provide the service in the country or by moving some of RIM servers to India.
India has also sought to assure Canada that the commercial interests of RIM would be kept in mind while taking a final decision on the Blackberry device.
''The response of RIM or setting up server (in India) has been encouraging and they have asked for the conditions that are likely to be imposed for setting up the server. The response is under examination,'' the DoT communication to the Canadian High Commission added.
The government is also examining proposals by two international software solution companies - Cain Technologies and Cleartrail - offering to provide a solution for BlackBerry interception.
