
BlackBerry, Skype, Google face India data demand - pierrefar
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=8DF4E971-1A64-6A71-CE8F6BECA402EF67
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GiraffeNecktie
Although it's presented as an anti-terrorism measure, one of the benefits of
unfettered access to Blackberry communications is the potential for economic
spying on multinationals with offices in India.

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plinkplonk
"one of the benefits of unfettered access to Blackberry communications is the
potential for economic spying on multinationals with offices in India"

This is all very James Bond-ey, but anyone who works with the Indian govt and
its electronics surveillance infrastructure and agencies (I do) knows it is no
shape to do and has no intent of doing any kind of effective "economic
spying". That's China not India. Wrong country.

On the other hand there _have been_ instances of non-state actors using
Blackberries to communicate with some very nasty people. I personally don't
agree with the need to have access to all Blackberry communication to track
these people down, but bureaucrats aren't very technical. The intent is
security, not economic spying. If you have any data or personal experience
pointing the other way, I'd love to hear it.

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borisk
Get real, there will be leaks of business data if this goes throught. Indian
administration is already very corrupt at all levels.

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plinkplonk
In other words you have no data or facts of any kind. Any instances of
organized economic espionage as a policy by the Indian _Government_ from
before the days of the BlackBerry? I thought not. "Get Real" isn't an
argument.

Any instances of corrupt bureaucrats (they exist, sure) using an Intelligence
Agency to expedite their corruption by intercepting Multinational
Communications? Any instances of non blackberry spying on Multinationals,
hacking into their computers etc(like what happened with Google in China)? Do
tell.

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borisk
I see, Indian government hires only super humans, who never ever take a bribe.
<http://www.google.com/search?q=india+bribe>

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plinkplonk
The point is not whether individuals take bribes. Of course some do.

The subject under discussion is your implication that the request for
decrypted BlackBerry data (which is being driven by the Intelligence agencies
and the Home ministry) is done so with an intention to facilitate such bribery
by intercepting multinational communications.

US senators are bribed too. That doesn't mean that the CIA , the DHS or the
NSA makes it their business to facilitate such corruption or that any anti
terrorism policy adopted by the US government is automatically targeted
towards benefiting such bribe takers.

The latter accusation would need more proof then "Well in my ignorant paranoia
I think this would happen" . Do you also believe that the US Govt brought down
the Twin Towers? After all not everyone in the US Govt is a superhuman patriot
who would never work against his own country? After all many foreigners think
(with good reason) that the US is a very warmongering country. Is that a good
enough rationale?

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briansmith
Regardless of the intent, it opens the door for abuse. It's like leaving a
loaded gun in your baby's crib. Regardless of your good intentions, the
potential for something to go bad is too great for it to be worthwhile.

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senthilnayagam
every government when it comes to know of benefits its competitors/neighbors
got, would ask for the same.

Google and may others shared every private citizen specific info with china,
Indian government wants the same features.

India is the largest growing mobile market, 500million+ mobiles. it is easier
to enforce mobile related laws. with 3G launch imminent, and internet on
mobile going to explode, they have very few options.

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pierrefar
What makes this request even more unbelievable is that they want full access
to the data in 15 days.

