Blackberry Development Talk

Security More Important than Data Privacy

Sep 2, 2010 News

Security is a huge concern and RIM should respect it more than any thing else!!!

The governments across the globe are talking about it for a long time. Now it’s International Telecommunication Union who joined the chorus. This is definitely not a sweet music for RIM.

Hamadoun Toure, the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, advised RIM, the manufacturer of BlackBerry, to allow the security agencies a lawful access of the customer data. He has been quoted saying that the governments across the globe have legitimate security concerns that could not be ignored.

All governments engaged in fighting terrorism had every right to demand access to the users’ information from RIM, he added.

“Those are genuine requests,” he addressed The Associated Press on Wednesday. “There is a need for cooperation between governments and the private sector on security issues.”
However RIM provides the BlackBerry, designed for a secure communications, are still not ready to share the information with any one.

The International Telecommunication Union coordinates the use of the global radio spectrum, and promotes the international cooperation in assigning different satellite orbits, and establishing standards for the telecommunications industry. It also serves as the global forum where you can discuss several issues and the cutting-edge solutions related to tele-communications.

Though the agency has no regulatory intimate power independent, but Toure’s comments are like the barometer of sentiments among its 192 member states.

Already five nations of those members; India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are now scrutinizing some of the BlackBerry services. But the statement of Toure is clear enough with the message: security is more important than users’ privacy.

Tags: BlackBerry Security, Hamadoun Toure, International Telecommunication Union, RIM

Corporate Worried of Losing Information Security

Aug 24, 2010 News

What we have discussed a couple of weeks back has come true now!!!

A number of corporate users and business houses have expressed their worries about the possibility that RIM might have to share the secured encrypted messages with the security agencies.

The secured BlackBerry messaging system, identified as a security threat by several nations and security agencies, has been advantageous for several organizations in sending confidential business information.

Dave Spickard, the IT Director of Euronet, an international business group, has recently confirmed that the loss of the secured message service could mean several issues to their global business. Many organizations and social activists are actually bifurcated in their collective opinion about the information security and misuse of the technology.

No one can actually deny the need of information security at the same time a terror free life. It has really become a challenge for the RIM to poise the need of corporate and the security agencies.

Tags: BlackBerry Security, Encrypted messages, Research in Motion, RIM

Analysts See No Business Risk for RIM over the Security Issue of BlackBerry

Aug 9, 2010 Blackberry Development, News

Controversies are in the air about the secured network used by BlackBerry, which now turns out to be more of a negativity than the positive aspect of securing the user’s privacy. Every other day, one or the other country is getting vocal in demanding access to BlackBerry communications on national and global security grounds.RIM claims that the system’s design prevents any third party, even itself, from accessing the encrypted messages.

But it’s not all dark for RIM. In spite of RIM’s recent decline in business, industry experts believe that the fear of disruption of service of RIM in any part of the globe is overblown. Security concerns over the BlackBerry are not new, but that never led to a blackout for RIM before. It suggests that the company has successfully resolved all the previous conflicts quietly.

“I don’t even think it’s a PR nightmare. … If it gets banned, then it’s a nightmare. If it’s a bunch of people talking about it being banned, then it’s a dandelion fluff on a summer’s day,” says Duncan Stewart, the Director of Research in technology, media and telecommunications of Deloitte, Canada.

“This is a political issue that, over time, has gone back and forth, and it’s not just RIM that has to deal with this. Google has had to deal with this kind of stuff in China,” he added on.

However, Saudi Arabia’s announcement of blocking the BlackBerry Messenger service, from October, has knocked down the shares of RIM up to 3.85 percent. India and other countries are considering similar steps.

“In the past when people have made similar threats, either they withdrew completely, without RIM doing anything, or perhaps, behind the scenes, RIM was able to come to some sort of an arrangement,” Stewart added. “And that’s never publicized.”

But as of now, it’s really an uncertain situation for the BlackBerry developers who are looking forward to an early solution.

Tags: blackberry, BlackBerry Messenger Services, BlackBerry Secured Network, BlackBerry Security, BlackBerry Share price, Deloitte Report