Government asks RIM to open access to wiretap Blackberry users

Tifatul SembiringThe government has urged Research in Motion (RIM), the developer of Blackberry smart phones, to open its special access to wiretap those people suspected of corruption or money laundering, and others, who are under criminal investigation.

“We will ask it to open access to people, who are allegedly involved in crimes. If RIM agrees, we will sign an agreement,” Information and Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring said, as quoted by Antara news agency on Thursday.

He added that the company had already fulfilled five out of six demands by the Indonesian government. “It has opened branches in Indonesia; offers after servicing; blocks negative content; recruits Indonesian workers; and cooperates with local content developers so as to use local software and components,” said Tifatul.

The only demand that has not yet been fulfilled is for the company to open a data center in Indonesia. According to Tifatul, the company has yet to give an explanation regarding its delay, adding that RIM could be punished if it refused to open the center.

To date, there has been no legal basis for wiretapping Blackberry users, unlike other operators. With other operators, they could open access for wiretapping if their customers have allegedly been involved in a crime. “RIM has yet to open access to wiretap Blackberry users even though the technology to allow us to do so is already available,” said Tifatul.

Institutions that are given the authority to wiretap are the police, the Attorney General’s Office, the Corruption Eradication Commission and the National Narcotics Agency.