Well it looks like the Indian government is starting to understand how BlackBerry security works. Reuters is reporting that RIM is now providing India “manual” access to the Messenger service but they want automated access and hope to get it by the first of January. I am not sure exactly what manual vs automated means exactly but my guess is that they are now requesting the information from RIM which returns the info within 4-5 hours. They want to be able to do it in real time.
In truth if they would bother to do some work on their own they would realize that the BBM messages transferring over their cellphone carriers lines are only scrambled they could descramble them without RIM’s help. I guess they are just going the easier route and threatening RIM until RIM does their work for them. A good strategy since RIM seems to be caving on BBM security.
On the other hand RIM is still holding down the fort when it comes to BES and corporate email security. Though it seems like Obama is about to come down on RIM to provide back door access to ALL encrypted communication. I just don’t get what the story is with governments and thinking they have the right to view anything and invade both personal and corporate secrets and privacy for security. I just wonder how much privacy people are willing to sacrifice on the alter of “homeland security.”
The funniest thing is this is exactly the reason PGP was created in the first place. Maybe we are just doomed for history to repeat itself.
papped Not Registered
Posted: October 5, 2010 at 1:42 PM EST
RIM is setting a really bad precedent… It’s more or less their own fault that now everyone and their mother is going to ask for access to everything, and force banning the entire service as a tactic since it has already been public exercised and proven to work easily…