RIM agrees to hand over its encryption keys to India

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/blackberry-maker-research-in-motion-agrees-to-hand-over-its-encryption-keys-to-india/articleshow/15319701.cms

by andrewpi • 14 years ago

70 20 14 years ago

economictimes.indiatimes.com

andrewpi• 14 years ago

While the article implies that corporate BES customers would be compromised with this move, Crackberry is refuting that aspect: http://crackberry.com/rim-encryption-keys

tensor• 14 years ago

I was under the impression that RIM doesn't even have access to corporate encryption keys.

Zenst• 14 years ago

I think you will find that the key is used for a VPN link to the RIM servers, which in turn push the email out to the telco over another encrypted link.

Bottom line the handset has to be able to decript it, so between the telco and the handset there is a common key at work.

Still if you don't trust your own goverment then why would they trust you.

Just wished some goverments were as open as they like us the public to be.

mrb• 14 years ago

Of course they do have access to these keys. Their own code runs on the device. They could very well have the OS communicate the keys back to RIM's servers.

mtgx• 14 years ago

I don't like this, but I'm starting to see double standards. Why aren't people just as upset about companies giving the same kind of access to the US Government thanks to the Patriot Act?

rmc3• 14 years ago

They are.

ChrisNorstrom• 14 years ago

Because in the USA any criticism against surveillance gets directed to "9/11" either indirectly or in tone. Yes people are upset about the Patriot Act but out of fear of being seen as unpatriotic, sympathetic to terrorists, or disrespectful to 9/11 victims the general population just accepts surveillance as a necessary evil.

sverige• 14 years ago

This is a move made from weakness. The reason our company saddles middle managers with Blackberrys is the no-brain encryption. Some of us travel to India. There goes more market share for RIM.

rmc3• 14 years ago

Conversely, if they were shut down in India they would lose lots of market share. They might gain more market share in India than lose in the USA (say).

briandear• 14 years ago

They certainly can't lose much more market share in the US, unless negative market share is possible.

pm90• 14 years ago

correct. Blackberry seems to have become quite popular in India

rmc3• 14 years ago

Just goes to show that you shouldn't trust any company who claims to be on your side w.r.t. encryption.

If you want security, do the encryption yourself.

enry_straker• 14 years ago

Wow. Companies colluding with incompetent governments to tresspass on its citizens with impunity.

techinsidr• 14 years ago

This is the same old debate, and RIM HAS NOT handed over customer encryption keys -- they don't have access to them:

http://www.securityweek.com/rim-disputes-indian-media-cannot...

RIM has been saying the same thing for years, that it "does not have the ability to provide its customers’ encryption keys"

EliRivers• 14 years ago

Further to techinsidr's link, here is El Reg's take. This is not the first time Indian authorities have claimed to have keys that arguably don't exist (did they mean THESE keys, did they mean THOSE keys, the debate rages in the comments :p ), and it won't be the last.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/02/rim_keys_india/

hessenwolf• 14 years ago

On Ebay in 3... 2... 1...

RIM agrees to hand over its encryption keys to India

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