BlackBerry says it will not let India monitor messages

NEW DELHI: The maker of BlackBerry said on Wednesday it hoped for a rapid solution to a security row with the Indian government but insisted it would not allow surveillance of encrypted emails. (Watch)

BlackBerry's woes in India come as Saudi Arabia announced a suspension of BlackBerry operations starting Friday because security agencies cannot monitor communications sent and received on the handset.

The United Arab Emirates has also said it would halt BlackBerry email, messenger and other services from October on the same grounds.

Canada-based Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the smartphone, denied media reports it would allow Indian intelligence agencies to read BlackBerry messages to satisfy security concerns of the government.



"We look forward to a solution (with the Indian government), nobody likes to be in such a situation, a solution should be feasible," RIM spokesman Satchit Gayakwad said.

"But there can be no compromise on security for our customers' communications," he said.

India, battling insurgencies from Muslim-majority Kashmir to the far-flung northeast and rising Maoist unrest, is highly sensitive about the potential risks of modern technology.

It has raised fears the services could be used by militants to communicate.

A telecom ministry spokesman in India said on Wednesday that efforts to resolve the security concerns involving BlackBerry, which has around one million customers in India, were "ongoing."

The Economic Times on Wednesday quoted an unnamed security agency official as saying India would close BlackBerry services that cannot be monitored.

The RIM spokesman said BlackBerry had held discussions with India's Department of Telecommunications on the issue but gave no details.