REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
BlackBerry users in India are in luck, at least for the next two months. The Associated Press reports that India has withdrawn its threat to ban the mobile device’s services after the makers, Research in Motion Ltd., compromised on security access.
India’s government officials first threatened to ban BlackBerry services after the company said they would not allow the government access to encrypted corporate e-mails and instant messages. Though RIM initially said such access wasn’t possible, the company has since conceded to some of the government’s demands, though exactly what they’ve conceded isn’t clear.
According to the AP, “RIM is facing widespread concern over its strong data encryption, which is beloved by corporate customers eager to guard secrets, but troublesome for some governments in the Middle East and Asia that worry it could be used by militants to avoid detection.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs released a statement saying that they would review the situation again in 60 days, giving BlackBerry users at least a few more weeks of access.
There are about 1 million BlackBerry users in India and the controversy has already led to a substantial dip in Research in Motion’s stock. (via the Associated Press)