RIM Seeks 2 Years To Address Email Security

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) wants 18-24 months to address security concerns raised by Indian agencies who have been demanding access to its corporate email services, said reports.

The Economic Times and Mint cited minutes of a meeting between the company, the government and security officials held as their source. RIM had denied it was planning to provide access to data transmitted through Blackberry Enterprise Server. “RIM reaffirms that any suggestion that it is enabling, or planning to enable in any time frame, access to data transmitted through BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is both false and technologically infeasible,” it had said in a statement. The company’s dealings with the government were positive and on track, it had said.

India has threatened to shut off BlackBerry Messenger and corporate email services unless it gains access to them, in a campaign driven by fears that unmonitored communication puts the country’s security at risk. RIM averted a ban last year, and the Indian government said in late October that RIM had set up an interim arrangement for lawful interception of BlackBerry Messenger services and assured a final solution by the end of January 2011.