Blackberry RIM says still no access to secure corporate emails

Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has refused to provide full access to Indian security agencies and has limited it to the messenger service only denying its coveted secure corporate emails.

India wants access to all BlackBerry services as part of efforts to fight militancy and security threats over the Internet and through telephone communications.

Last month, home secretary G. K. Pillai had stated that the Centre was talking to firms that use BlackBerry to gain access to their employees’ secure communications when it was deemed necessary.

“ No changes can be made to the security architecture for Black- Berry Enterprise Server customers, since contrary to any rumours the security architecture is the same around the world and RIM truly has no ability to provide its customers’ encryption keys,” the company said on Thursday.

It reiterated that no changes could be made to allow monitoring of secure corporate emails.

Late last year, the company managed to avert a ban in India by offering interim access to Black- Berry Messenger and promising a broader solution by January 31.

The Centre had extended the deadline to RIM for providing a final solution by January 2011 on giving access to security agencies to its popular messenger and enterprise services (corporate emails). It had first extended the August 31 deadline to October 31 and then to December 31.

RIM has been buffeted by demands for access to its encrypted data from several countries worried about security and social mores. Last year, the company narrowly escaped bans in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.