BlackBerry ban threat real, says government

NEW DELHI

Sending a strong message to the telecommunication industry, the government told parliament on Thursday that it may ban BlackBerry if interception and monitoring of certain services by security agencies was not allowed.

This is the first time that the government has used the word 'ban' with regard to BlackBerry in parliament.

Asked whether telecom operators would be given time beyond August 31, the deadline set for BlackBerry makers Research In Motion (RIM), for compliance with security norms, a government representative said, "They have already been given enough time..."

The dialogue between Canada-based RIM and the Centre over security concerns began in 2008. But the issue was buried over time.

The controversy recently erupted again with the home affairs ministry pressing for access to BlackBerry's messenger and enterprise services. "DoT [department of telecommunications] has asked service providers to offer a technical solution for interception and monitoring of certain services provided through BlackBerry devices in a readable format to law enforcement agencies," Mos for communications Sachin Pilot told Rajya Sabha. He said, "In case no solution is provided, the government may ban these services."

DoT has already issued letters to telcos, saying some BlackBerry services may be shut down if government guidelines are not complied with. Messenger and enterprise mail are the two BlackBerry services facing government heat, as these do not allow interception of data.

If the services are shut, BlackBerry subscribers will be only able to make phone calls and surf the Internet.