DoT146;s approach to BlackBerry imbroglio questioned

Amid controversy about a threat to national security from BlackBerry services, Canada has questioned the Department of Telecommunication8217;s approach to resolving the issue and also expressed doubt whether those involved on the Indian side are actually empowered to settle the matter. In a letter to communication and IT minister A Raja, Canadian high commissioner David M Malone said, 8220;We and Research in Motion the Canada-based Blackberry vendor need to understand who in the government of India is empowered to resolve this issue.

8220;The discussion managed by DoT to date have inspired little confidence that those involved on the Indian side are actually empowered to settle the matter as the Indian government8217;s demands of RIM keep expanding while media leaks proliferate some of them very damaging from a security perspective8230;Potential terrorists are now aware, because of these leaks, of technical issues unknown to most of us previously,8221; he said in the latter dated April 17.

8220;While we wholeheartedly acknowledge the importance of security measures to combat terrorism, as well as the need for effective telecommunication regulations, there needs to be a balance between such measures and maintaining a supportive business environment for both foreign and domestic companies,8221; he said.