Rumors have been spreading that Research In Motion, manufacturer of BlackBerry devices, is handing over encryption keys for its enterprise services to the Government of India. To set matters straight, the company has issued a statement claiming the contrary.
“RIM has found it necessary to correct some false and misleading information appearing in the media in India and would like to take an opportunity to set the record straight,” said a company spokesman. This is in sharp contrast to the previously published statement that the solution offered by RIM would allow the government to monitor communications on BlackBerry devices including devices being used in enterprise settings.
“As we have stated on several occasions, and as we have set out in our company’s Lawful Access Principles, RIM cannot access information encrypted through BlackBerry Enterprise Server as RIM is not ever in possession of the encryption keys.”
By abiding to their Lawful Access Principles, the company provides carriers with the capabilities necessary to address lawful access requirements in their respective countries and include the following:
1. The carriers’ capabilities be limited to the strict context of lawful access and national security requirements as governed by the country’s judicial oversight and rules of law.
2. The carriers’ capabilities must be technology- and vendor-neutral, allowing no greater access to BlackBerry consumer services than the carriers and regulators already impose on RIM’s competitors and other similar communications technology companies.
3. No changes to the security architecture for BlackBerry Enterprise Server customers since, contrary to any rumors, the security architecture is the same around the world and RIM truly has no ability to provide its customers’ encryption keys.
4. RIM maintains a consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries.
RIM’s services are widely used in the enterprise segment and reports like this can be extremely damaging to the reputation of the company.
[Via – BGR India]