Spying fears lead to Blackberry ban for government workers - World - smh.com.au

Spying fears lead to Blackberry ban for government workers - World - smh.com.au

Spying fears lead to Blackberry ban for government workers

*
* Email
* Print
* Normal font
* Large font

June 22, 2007
AdvertisementAdvertisement

PARIS: French Government officials have been ordered not to use handheld BlackBerry devices amid fears that Britain or the US might spy on them.

The French General Secretariat for Defence is worried because all BlackBerry emails are transmitted from servers in Britain and the US, and are at risk of being picked up by agents at the US National Security Agency or their British counterparts. "The risks of interception are real; it's economic warfare," said Alain Juillet, France's head of economic intelligence.

To drive home the point, Mr Juillet pointed out that during meetings US bankers and businessmen placed their BlackBerrys on the table with the batteries removed to avoid suspicion of foul play.

Government workers are reportedly deeply frustrated about the ban, which they say is taking them back to the dark ages of French bureaucracy. Some are flouting the ban and using their BlackBerrys in secret.

RIM, which created the BlackBerry, rejected the French concerns, saying its encryption system was "the most secure wireless data solution available" and had been approved for the transmission of sensitive data by the British Government and NATO.

Telegraph, London