BlackBerry smartphone manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) has extended an offer to the Indian Government to lead an industry forum which would cover the lawful access needs of law enforcement agencies.
The forum would simultaneously highlight the need in which to preserve and uphold the information security needs of Indian businesses.
Concerns were initially raised by the Indian Government regarding the ability of security forces to intercept email sent via BlackBerry devices. This posed a potential security risk if correspondence from suspected terrorist organisations remained encrypted.
At the beginning of this month, the Indian Government gave RIM until the end of August to address the concerns.
A statement released by RIM confirmed that the industry forum would focus on developing recommendations for policies and processes aimed at preventing the misuse of encryption technologies, while preserving its benefits for Indian users.
It is thought that whilst BlackBerry remains a popular solution in India, there are other alternatives that are being used. A ban would negatively affect business productivity and continuity across India.
