RIM: Can’t provide access to secure encrypted BlackBerry enterprise communications to Indian government

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) denied a report published in the Indian media that claims the company is handing over encryption keys for its secure enterprise services to the Indian government. “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 spokesperson in a statement to BGR India.
The report published in The Economic Times, claims that the solution put in place by RIM to satisfy the Indian government’s needs to monitor communications on Blackberry devices covers all traffic including enterprise communications. RIM denies the claim.
“RIM is providing an appropriate lawful access solution that enables India’s telecom operators to be legally compliant with respect to their BlackBerry consumer traffic, to the same degree as other smartphone providers in India, but this does not extend to secure BlackBerry enterprise communications,” RIM’s spokesperson said. Adding, “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.”
The report can be damaging to RIM’s reputation as it is widely employed by enterprises for their communications needs due to its secure encrypted services. The company insists that there have been no changes to its 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.”