By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor
How comfortable would you feel if you feel if you knew the government could monitor your e-mail and messaging interactions on your BlackBerry (News - Alert)? According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, this is exactly what is happening in India.
Reportedly, Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry, has offered India information and tools to conduct surveillance of wireless e-mail and messaging services on the BlackBerry. It appears RIM is trying to balance the tough sides of sovereign security concerns with customer privacy – a tough challenge.
Network security concerns are certainly legitimate, especially in this climate of increased identity thefts, network hacking, malware infestations and more. But, are concerns about network security the same thing as concerns the government may have over messages sent via corporate e-mail.
There are some who will argue that there is a big difference between the two and the government should not have access to private communications within the corporate environment. RIM told Indian officials, however, that they have the tools necessary to help security agencies to track messages that may be of interest.
A promise of network security – and the ability to deliver on that promise – is much of what helped RIM become a leader in its field. As the company seeks to expand, however, it is struggling with how to deliver on this promise and continue to protect user confidentiality while also encountering resistance from governments throughout the world.
There is a growing challenge between companies such as RIM and Google (News - Alert) as they face-off with other governments on issues such as censorship and privacy. Global companies want the technology and the network security, while governments still want to maintain control and prevent complete control by corporate giants.
Countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia want to be able to monitor BlackBerry services for threats to national security, while corporate environments want to protect network security and privacy – a stark contrast. RIM has endured scrutiny by such countries as of late as it seeks to gain market share.
"RIM maintains a consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries," the company said in a statement.
So why the big push by these governments to monitor BlackBerry communications? Whether the issue is network security or not, these countries are concerned because smartphone vendors operate their own network of servers in other countries that are outside of the monitoring reach and jurisdiction of counties like Saudi Arabia and India. These governments fear information is too far out of their reach and control, putting the nation at risk.Of course such trepidations make sense, yet it is the network security offerings RIM has perfected that have led its strength in the market. This makes sense for the corporate environment, yet poses a threat to dominating governments who want all access all the time. RIM seems willing to negotiate, but will they have to sacrifice network security provisions to accommodate? Only time will tell.
