Confusion prevailed over security issues linked to BlackBerry smartphone, with its Canada-based manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) on Tuesday reiterating that it was not possible to give security agencies access to its encrypted mail and messenger service as it did not possess a “master key” for interception.

On the other hand, Union Home Ministry officials claimed that RIM assured them that it would provide to intelligence agencies access to some of its services such as messaging and find out ways to address other issues related to data and messenger services.

RIM, which has over 10-lakh BlackBerry customers in the country, said its security architecture for customers was designed to exclude RIM or any third party from reading encrypted information under any circumstances.

Unauthorised access

“RIM does not possess a master key, nor does any backdoor exist in the system that would allow RIM or any third party to gain unauthorised access to the key or corporate data. It, therefore, will be unable to accommodate any request for a copy of a customer's encryption key since at no time does RIM, or any wireless network operator, ever possess a copy of the key,” it said in a statement.

RIM, which operates in over 175 countries, further pointed out that governments have a wide range of resources and methods to satisfy national security and law enforcement needs without compromising commercial security requirements.