Blackberry dubbed a security threat. Will govt ban it next?
Is a blackout of Blackberry and some other e-mail enabled communication devices in India on the cards for security reasons?
This fear looks real if mobile telephony player Tata Teleservices’ experience is anything to go by.
According to Tata Tele managing director Anil Sardana, the company’s application for Blackberry service was rejected by the government recently. Reason? The ministry of home affairs (MHA), which vets all value-added services of telcos, told Tata Tele that the Blackberry service does not allow for “lawful interception”.
The MHA verdict means that the government must be able to access all communications through a mobile device at any given time, for national security reasons. Since a Blackberry does not allow for any interception, such a service is perceived as a security threat.
That leads to another question. How are other telcos such as Bharti, Vodafone and Reliance offering Blackberry service on their networks? Company officials were not available for comment, but sources said, “It’s an industry issue, and goes beyond Blackberry.”
Apart from Blackberry, there are other mobile devices offering push mail and other e-mail services, which could pose a similar security hazard, an industry insider said.
According to another source, “It’s an issue that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) must take up with MHA. Operators are not responsible for who’s being allowed to offer Blackberry and who’s not.”
It is learnt that after the Tatas asked DoT as to why only they were being singled out, DoT sought explanations from existing BlackBerry providers.
These operators have held talks with DoT and MHA officials. But, a decision is yet to be taken on the future course of action. A meeting is slated at DoT in the coming week on the matter.
Research In Motion (RIM) holds the proprietary rights for the BlackBerry service.
Under license from www.3dsyndication.com
By Nivedita Mookerji
www.sify.com
