Updated : Blackberry Blackout By Indian Govt? Tata Tele's Application Rejected !

[Honest 836]

At last, govt cracks BlackBerry code

22 Sep, 2008, 0121 hrs IST, ET

NEW DELHI: The government has decrypted the data on Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry networks. The department of telecommunication (DoT), Intelligence Bureau and security agency National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) have done tests on service providers such as Bharti Airtel, BPL Mobile, Reliance Communications and Vodafone-Essar networks for interception of Internet messages from BlackBerry to non-BlackBerry devices.

Initially, there were difficulties in cracking the same on Vodafone-Essar network but that has also been solved. This means that the e-mail messages sent on Internet through your BlackBerry sets would no longer be exclusive and government would be able to track them.

“Decompression is being tested in operator’s network with three successful testing on Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communication and BPL Mobile,” a source in DoT said. He, however, added that the solution reached upon would not be shared with anybody including the national telecom service providers like BSNL or MTNL. “The test is being conducted wholly for non-enterprise solutions,” he said. The Union cabinet has also been apprised of the recent developments by the DoT.

Makers of BlackBerry set, RIM, could not be contacted for comment. An e-mail sent in this regard the company did not elicit any response till the time of going for press. An official in Vodafone-Essar, however, on conditions of anonymity said that there has been substantial progress in decoding the BlackBerry encryptions and DoT has got success on decompressing the data on the networks of all the major service providers.

The test would be conducted on all the network of all the BlackBerry service providers and the service providers, on whose network the interception does not happen smoothly, would be asked to make technical changes in their services to make them compatible for decompression. Decompression is the process of decoding information with an aim to transfer the data to a different medium like data to voice, data to video or data to text.

The DoT had earlier asked RIM to provide the master key to allow access to contents transferred over their handsets. RIM had, however, said that it could not handover the message encryption key to the government as its security structure does not allow any third party or even the company to read the information transferred over its network.

The BlackBerry issue surfaced earlier this year when DoT asked Tata Tele-services to delay the launch of the service till appropriate security mechanisms were in place. Currently, there are over one lakh BlackBerry users in the country.

Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone Essar and BPL Mobile are offering this service in the country. Tata Teleservices has also been allowed to offer the BlackBerry services recently.

Incidentally, Tata Teleservices launched the service after telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura said that the government has no role in stopping the company from offering the service.

[Sadikk 301]

Its a good news.

[kshah 452]

I am very happy. Such services must be under scanner of security agencies.

[Honest 836]

Indian Government To Sniff Your E-mails

Patriot Act-esque move to weed out terrorists

Did you know that our security agencies have been watching all the Web traffic entering and leaving the country? For over two years, they've had hardware installed at our international gateways, sniffing traffic for signs of a terrorist attack, or any malicious intent towards the country. They've also decrypted the data on Blackberry networks so that the security agencies can sniff out the data passed over Blackberry devices and track them.

It's no mystery that terror networks have been using e-mail to spread their nastiness, but shouldn't someone have told us we were being watched?

It's now been discovered that terrorists have been using our internal networks, such their e-mail can't be monitored using the sniffer hardware at the international gateways. To counter this move, the security agencies now plan to use e-mail sniffers at every ISP, and apparently, this move is already well under way with five major ISPs on board. So the government could, if it wishes, read the contents of your e-mail at any time. Worse, so could your ISP.

Corporate houses have been using these tools to monitor the traffic entering and leaving their servers, but they're usually up-front about it, and are justified in that they need to know what you're doing with the company's time and hardware. However, what we do in the privacy of our homes should be our business. Guess it's time to see what our privacy laws say about this.

Courtesy : Techtree

[Sadikk 301]

I am okay if they read all my emails.

we cant compromise countries securities on anything.

i also think they just check it and take actions if there's any threat by terrorists. Nothing more nothing less

[ACS 130]

A product of Canadian firm ‘Research In Motion’ (RIM), BlackBerry is a patented service that provides wireless e-mail solution to mobile professionals and individuals, just like SMS on any conventional mobile phone.

Whats your point?

Edited September 28, 2008 by ACS

[Sadikk 301]

@ ACS

It was just a GK i think

[Honest 836]

Govt, Blackberry makers to jointly resolve security issues

2 Oct, 2008, 1426 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: Stepping up efforts to resolve the security concerns related to Blackberry services, government has joined hands with Canadian firm Research in Motion (maker of Blackberry devices) to address the issue of data encryption.

"Our technical team (task force), in coordination with RIM, is working to sort out the issue of data security. We are positive to solve all security-related concerns," Minister of State for IT and Communication Jyotiraditya Scindia said.

Security agencies have confirmed that the system is susceptible to misuse by anti-national forces and had asked for government intervention.

"Ministry of Home Affairs is looking after the security aspect of Blackberry to ensure that the service doesn't harm anyone," Scindia said.

Indian Mujahideen terrorists used WiFi network to send emails claiming responsibility for the serial blasts that rocked the nation during past months.

Considering its misuse, law enforcement agencies have even raised demands to restrict Blackberry services.

However, the ministry ruled out all such speculation and said that it did not plan to ban Blackberry.

"We are here to provide free flow of service and we are doing that. Our ministry is there to make sure that customers don't face any problem. The service (Blackberry) is operational and we hope that it continues to run," the minister said.

The security agencies have asked the Department of Telecom to ensure that traffic originating and terminating in India does not travel outside the country.

Amidst security concerns raised on the use of Blackberry services, India has already assured Canada that commercial interest of RIM, the maker of Blackberry, would be kept in mind while taking any final decision.

Both Indian and Canadian governments had exchanged letters to sort out the issue.

On April 17, Canadian High Commissioner David M Malone had written a letter to Communications and IT Minister A Raja, through Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on the issue of lawful interception of information related to RIM.

MEA in its reply to Malone on April 25 said, "It would be advisable for RIM to recognise that Department of Telecommunications is trying to be helpful in the case and to work together with them. It may not help the RIM cause to make allegations about those who are trying to help them."

There are about four lakh Blackberry subscribers in India and the services are being offered by Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Reliance Communications and BPL.

The DoT had also convened a meeting of various stakeholders in order to find a solution to the problem including IB officials with technical representative of RIM.

[Honest 836]

Security concerns return to haunt Blackberry

Press Trust of India l 3 Dec l New Delhi

Plans to launch a new Blackberry mobile handset in India has revived concerns if the service was a risk to internal security, with one wing of the Telecom Ministry seeking opinion of the security division.

The concerns come ahead of the proposed visit of a top team of the Blackberry promoters to India for discussions with the Department of Telecom (DoT) on the long pending security issues.

Even before the terrorists hit Mumbai last week, the Wireless Planning Coordination wing sought clearance from the security department of the Ministry, a source in the know of the development said, adding that it is yet to be ascertained if Blackberry equipment was used by the militants in Mumbai.

"It is understood that the Blackberry equipment uses encrypted data for e-mail transmission through a Gateway outside our country," the WPC wing of DoT said in an internal communication to the security wing.

The issue has arisen with respect to approval for a new device - touchscreen Blackberry Storm 9500 - that the Canadian maker of Blackberry RIM plans to launch in India.

WPC has referred the approval of Bluetooth certification for the Blackberry Storm to the full Ministry for clearance citing questions over its legality.

However, WPC said that if the equipment workswithin the limits of frequencies as per notification it has no reservation in granting approval to the equipment.

[Honest 836]

DoT has no problem with BlackBerry phone usage: Telecom Secy

Press Trust of India l 12 Dec l New Delhi

Amidst a raging controversy over non-availability of technology to monitor content from BlackBerry, the Telecom Ministry on Friday said it did not see any problem with BlackBerry smartphones in India.

Asked whether security concerns over BlackBerry service has been resolved with Canada's Research-In-Motion, the vendor of smartphone, Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura said, "Ask the security (agencies) people..."

"There is no issue on BlackBerry as far as we are concerned," he said.

Department of Telecom (DoT) and intelligence agencies have long been demanding access to data on Blackberry phones, which is available only to the owners of the handset.

RIM executives had met senior DoT officials recently. In fact, launch of a new touch-screen Blackberry handset in India has got caught in a security web, although it is yet to be ascertained if the premium mobile service was used by terrorists to plan the last month's attacks in Mumbai.

"It is understood that Blackberry equipment uses encrypted data for e-mail transmission through a gateway outside our country," the wirless plannig co-ordination wing of the DoT had said in an internal communication to the security wing.

Sources said that RIM officials are still in discussions with the DoT and security agencies to sort out the matter to everybody's satisfaction.