BlackBerry: fresh deadline

RIM asks for more time for technical discussions with security agencies

** FILE ** In this Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 file photo, a man talks on his mobile phone as he walks past a hoarding of BlackBerry in Ahmadabad, India. India has widened its security crackdown, asking all service providers, and not just BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion, to install servers in the country, a move analysts say will bolster national security, possibly at the expense of privacy. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

The Centre on Tuesday asked Research In Motion (RIM) to provide the “final solution” to its BlackBerry encrypted email and messenger services for interception by the Indian law enforcement agencies by December 31, 2010. The government had earlier extended the August 31 deadline to October 31, 2010.

The Ministry of Home Affairs decided to further extend the deadline till this year-end after meeting representatives of RIM and Department of Telecommunications (DoT). RIM has sought more time in view of technical discussions on the BlackBerry Messenger Service (BMS) and BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) with the security agencies.

“We are satisfied with the solution provided for the lawful interception of BMS. We want to test it for some more time, while discussions on BES are still on, hence RIM has been given a fresh deadline…We hope that [the] final solution would be found by December 31, 2010,” a senior government official said.