The government has stated that its consultations with BlackBerry service provider Research in Motion (RIM) for lawful interception of the company’s services was ongoing and more time was required to find a solution.
Ajay Maken, minister of state for home Ajay said that RIM has assured the government that they will provide a solution for lawful interception of BlackBerry?s messenger services by 31 January, 2011. Maken added that in case no solution was provided, these services may be blocked as per the relevant clauses of the license in the interest of national security.
Earlier, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had directed all operators not to offer BlackBerry email and mobile messenger services unless an adequate monitoring system that met the requirements of the concerned security agencies was implemented.
In so far, operators have upgraded their network and the solution offered is being tested by law enforcement agencies, for which the deadline has been extended to 31 December, 2010. Following discussions with RIM, voice, SMS and individual email were made available to security agencies in a readable format.
