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BlackBerry Helps Indian Gov't Spy On Users' Messages
hypnosec writes "The longstanding stalemate between the Government of India and BlackBerry (formerly RIM) is over after the government reportedly accepted the solution provided by BlackBerry regarding lawful interception of messages sent using BBM and internet emails sent using BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS). As a result of this, the government will now be able to monitor e-mails in real-time sent using BlackBerry services and messages on BlackBerry Messenger. According to Economic Times, which claims to have reviewed a copy of the internal Department of Telecom document, 'Baring a few minor points for improvement of viewers, the lawful interception system for BlackBerry Services is ready for use.' The initial demands of the government also included the ability to intercept and monitor emails and messages sent using BlackBerry Enterprise Server, but it seems that this demand have been shelved for now."
Probably every constitution in the world should be amended to guarantee people the right to private, secure communication. This is probably more important than the right to bear arms when defending people's rights against rogue governments.
@Valentinial
Damnit, India now too? Now we can't just pile on the USA, Bush, Obama, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Eric Holder and the likes.
Now Blackberry will have abysmal sales numbers in India instead of non-existent. I cant help but wonder how this will affect their sales in the rest of the world. I suppose it cant do a lot of damage though, Its not like they are the hottest selling phones...
I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
May well cover this point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_8_of_the_European_Convention_on_Human_Rights & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Convention_on_Human_Rights#Article_8_-_privacy but YMMV.
Take a look at the Guardian (US version);
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Then take a look at RT News:
http://rt.com/
Then take a look at CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/
Or even the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/
Notice a pattern? Apparently, the Zimmerman trial is all we Americans care about. The media is as complicit as Microsoft, et al. I start with the foreign news outlets, then head to CNN and other mainstream US media for comparison--what is missing from mainstream US media is the real news.
I fully expect "Cold Fjord" to be spewing his disinformation--with earnest--after the latest Prism revelations. If Microsoft is fucked, so is the NSA.
India currently does this on all mobile carriers. RIM/BlackBerry is a mobile carrier as well as a device manufacturer. RIM was the only carrier that resisted (that I am aware of) the monitoring of their network (BlackBerry Internet Services or BIS). The Indian government threatened to suspend their network altogether if they didn't capitulate. RIM agreed to discuss the matter further and have been in negotiations for the last 2 years. Since BB 10 doesn't even use BIS I suspect BlackBerry is just giving India what is is asking for. This does not in any way effect enterprise deployments using a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) as the encryption keys are generated at the server and kept only by the enterprise.
Nothing to see here...move along.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
This is like 4 years old. Blackberry within minutes of India shutting down RIM, and they capitulated to the Indian ministry of Information. One of the requirments was Indian Governement back door to all messaging... At the time we thought... Oh, look at the evil Indian overlord Govt... all the while our Govt sh#t bags were doing the same to us...
This affects BIS, not BES. This exact story is re-hashed every year on /. Must be a slow news day.
http://crackberry.com/blackberry-101-lecture-2-bes-and-bis-whats-difference
They lost a lot of good will because of that.
I remember at the time I considered RIM to be good for business and good about security and privacy. Then they sold out.
Probably every constitution in the world should be amended to guarantee people the right to private, secure communication. This is probably more important than the right to bear arms when defending people's rights against rogue governments.
Who gets to define "rogue governments"? When George W. Bush was president, the lunatic left was insistent that he "stole" the 2000 election for sure, he probably stole the 2004 Ohio election (yet oddly the Republican candidates were unable to steal the state in 2008 and 2012) and thus the general election, he had no respect for individual rights, wasn't going to leave office willingly, and on and on. Fast forward to today and some of the same people who blew off such talk are now saying that Barack Obama wasn't even born in the USA, is not a citizen, and is thus ineligible to be president, has trampled on everybody's rights, is trying to take your guns away from you, and on and on.
What a predictable clickbait title. I come by here every few weeks (less and less often, honestly - too much crap is just filtering through from populate media conglomerates) and am always able to find something on the front page that reminds me why I've taken to staying away.
But for old time's sake, I'll bite.
- RIM gave access to BIS communications when lawfully requested. This isn't new - they do it for every major government that submits legal requests. The fact that they'd do it for India was resolved months ago, in mid-2012 I think.
- RIM still has not and cannot give access to BES communications. THAT is what the battle with India is about - INdia said "you will give us ALL communications". RIM said "SOrry, we literally just can't do that.". India said "Do it or GTFO". RIM said "Sorry, we really just... can't". India realized this was true, and a big deal was made about the fact that theyr eceived BIS access (like any other government, for any service - not just RIM).
- It was face-saving, because they could not get what they actually insisted on getting - BES. Because the claim was that *BES* was used to planning subversive activities, not consumer BBM and email.
- they've given India no more than another other government. And they give the US government considerably less than any other government.
On that topic: you'll also notice that BlackBerry is NOT on the list of companies assisting NSA with Prism efforts. They do comply with lawful requests for specific data (as long as it's not BES, which they have no access to). But they do NOT hand over data in bulk, unlike all of their competition.
The initial demands of the government also included the ability to intercept and monitor emails and messages sent using BlackBerry Enterprise Server, but it seems that this demand have been shelved for now."
...Because for the 8 millionth time, that is not possible since RIM does not possess the encryption keys for any BES setup.
Also, this story is only what, 5 years old?
True, but it's a mistake to make this too much about RIM. Any for profit company in their situation would be very likely to do the same - or worse. At least they publicised the problem.
But that just points back to a basic fact. If we want secure communications we cannot rely on for-profit companies to provide that, at least not in the current environment. An alternative infrastructure is required - one that doesnt require trusting an organisation which isnt capable of resisting government pressure.
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Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
All the first-party IM/mail services are tapped or highly likely to get tapped by governments so if you want some reasonable shot at privacy, you have to use one of the lesser-known privacy-oriented 3rd-party apps and networks. Preferably a decentralized open-source application and network so governments cannot shut it down nor insert backdoors without a high probability of getting caught.
"OMG BlackBerry voids human rights! I'm glad I use my beloved non-BlackBerry phone", an idiot might say.
Look, BlackBerry was the only company that offered a messaging service that was so secure that most governments could not hack it, and so threatened to not allow BlackBerries to be sold in their country. I mean POTUS prefered a BlackBerry over any other phone for this very reason.
Note, that this means that your beloved iPhone, Windows Phone, or Android, has messaging services that ALREADY allow governments to tap and hack into easily. It's why you have not heard about similar stories from these companies, the just did not bother implementing that level of security in their products to piss of government agencies.
BlackBerry had to concede if they wanted to sell their products in countries like Saudi Arabia or India. Which, BTW, are some of BlackBerries largest markets, more so than for Apple or Google even. Any of you ever run a company that pisses off your largest customer bases, let me know how that well that works out for you when you spout idealistic moral indignation rather than apply rational common sense.
So before you start pounding on BlackBerry for giving up on human rights, realize that we ALL live in countries that can tap into our phones and message and that any company preventing this will not be allowed to do business for very long in that country. The only difference between the USA or Canada and a place like India is that a little more due diligence is required by the law before they can gain access to write tap a person.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
No, because iMessage or Google services are already easily tappable in those countries. No other IM is, or was, as secure as BBM which is the only reason why BlackBerry fell into the bad graces of countries like India and forced them to open up their protocol.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
We will find ways to make money...
RIM supplies the final nail to the coffin in the platform otherwise known as Blackberry.
They lost a lot of good will because of that.
I remember at the time I considered RIM to be good for business and good about security and privacy. Then they sold out.
Did they? They gave the Indian government access to some types of messages, but not others AND THEY TOLD EVERYONE WHICH ONES ARE STILL SECURE. Anyone caring about security can use BES, and those not caring can use BBM. It's not as convenient, but those for whom security is important still have it. Since it's business users who pay their rent, and it's business users who use BES their core interest is protected, and India can say they have access to terrorist communications, since terrorists presumably don't have Exchange servers.
To me it looks like they won more than they sold out, but yes, overall we're still slipping towards less privacy.
The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures (Junius)
i'm an indian. we have never been a great nation recently.
Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.