India tells BlackBerry maker RIM to address security issues or close shop
28 Jul 2010
Research in Motion (RIM), the makers of Blackberry, should address the country's security concerns by offering facility for monitoring, failing which it would have to wind up operations in India, the government has said.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has asked the department of telecommunication to clearly apprise the Canadian service provider that its e-mail and other data services must comply with formats that can be monitored by security and intelligence agencies.
The ministry has made its position clear on the issue and has demanded that like in other countries in which RIM operates, including the US, where it complies with respective governments' security concerns, it would have to similarly comply with the concerns of the Indian government as well
According to an official, if RIM fails to follow the government's guidelines it would have to cease operations in India.
The smartphone has nearly a million customers in India.
The government also wants Blackberry to have a server in India, which it has been delaying. With a server in India, it would be easy to track messages.
