The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is believed to have said that a complete ban on encrypted communications is not required. This is because solutions are available that help intercept the data in a readable format.
This was discussed in a report released by a DoT committee, which stated, “Banning encrypted communication is not desirable as long as some solutions exist to get the (data) intercepted in a readable format. Therefore, the accent should be on regulating these services while ensuring that security assistance needs and communication security needs are balanced.?
Prior to this, Research In Motion (RIM) had submitted a solution to the government for real-time interception of its Blackberry Enterprise Service (BES).
This was after it had extended the deadline set by the government multiple times. The government had set August 15, 2011, as the deadline for RIM, to provide the country’s security agencies with interception keys to enable real-time tracking of its messenger and corporate e-mail services in a readable format.
The solution provided by RIM is being tested by DoT and a report is expected by end-October.
