Blackberry Blues

India and Indians dont know much about the right to privacy. One has hardly
come across any person or group standing up on this Blackberry issue to tell the
Home Ministry and its various arms that there is a limit to what they can demand
from operators in the name of national security. Once RIM accepts the
governments demands to let them access emails, SMSs, and chat records, we will
hear more about how security agencies misused it to tap peoples private lives
rather than about terrorists plans being thwarted. What is the guarantee that a
wayward policeman will not try and lay his hands on the confidential email
exchange of a CEO and his team trying to bid for a large order?

Today the government has the right to tap phones but have we heard of any
case where a crime has been prevented? We have heard a lot about this provision
being misused. Actually, in many cases where the police have got call records of
politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, and key police officers in various
crimes, nothing has happened. I fear that in the name of national security life
for the innocent will become tough, while the criminals will still be ahead of
us.

On the personal front I will have mixed feelings if Blackberry is banned.
With Blackberry I am expected to respond to emails and join chat sessions even
if I am out for a movie. And that is very irritating, as it throws the whole
concept of work life balance out of the window. I sometimes wish that Blackberry
was not invented. But on the other hand, I know 24x7 accessibility is an almost
unavoidable reality today. There the Blackberry has been able to help me get rid
of my notebook, which in my pre-Blackberry days I had to lug along even on my
dinner parties, just in case the magazine cover is sent to me for approval. I am
sure thousands of other Blackberry users have something similar to say.

One interesting fallout of this ban, if it actually happens, is that lots of
other phones that claim to be smart phones with Blackberry like features and
capabilities will get another chance.

Everybody knows that the Government of India is just putting RIM (Research in
Motion) under pressure by announcing that Blackberry services will be banned if
RIM does not agree to give access to its security systems. But it is unlikely
that they will ban it. Indian government will not like to antagonize the more
than 1 mn Blackberry users, many of whom are bigwigs. Plus, RIM will be very
reluctant to succumb because then they will be under similar threat from other
nations who have been complaining about the security risk Blackberry poses.
Lets see who winks first, but I am already hearing stories that middlemen have
jumped in to find an amicable solution.

Ibrahim Ahmad

ibrahima@cybermedia.co.in