Saturday, June 4, 2011
India security: BlackBerry CEO walks out of interview
10:54 PM | Posted by
Daniel "adoy" |
TORONTO: Research In Motion RIM) founder Mike Lazaridis ordered a BBC reporter to stop the interview after he was asked questions about his problems with India and Middle East countries which are seeking accessing to BlackBerry enterprise emails in view of national security issues.
"That's just not fair," Mike Lazaridis shot back at BBC technology
correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones when he posed this question to the RIM
co-CEO at a recent interview.
Looking sideways, a visibly upset
RIM boss said, "First of all, we have no security problem. We've got the
most secure platform. We've just been singled out because we're so
successful around the world."
When the reporter asked whether he could assume that BlackBerry has no
issues with India and Middle East countries, Lazaridis said, "No, we
don't... we have just been singled because we are successful around the
world. It is an iconic product, it used by businesses, it is used by
celebrities, it is used by consumers, it is used by teenagers... we are
just singled out just because of our success."
When the reporter
pressed him further on the India question, the BlackBerry chief said,
"We are dealing with a lot of issues... we are doing our best to deal
with the kind of expertise..."
The RIM co-CEO exploded when the
reporter finally asked him whether he could "confidently tell" and give
"assurance" to BBC listeners in India and the Middle East whether they
could continue using the BlackBerry smart phone without any problems in
future.
"The interview is over. You can't use that, Rory. It's
just not fair. This is a national security issue. Turn that off," the
BlackBerry boss told the reporter.
The BBC has posted the video
of this portion of the interview on its website. The BBC interview
followed Lazaridis's recent interview to the New York Times in which
slammed those who are writing off the BlackBerry maker as a "broken
brand."
Though after many deadlines, RIM has given India access
to its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), it has remained non-committal on
allowing access to its encrypted corporate service.
India has
more than a million BlackBerry users and RIM has set sights on the fast
growing market as its share in the North American smart phone market
shrinks.
The Canadian wireless giant, whose stock has slipped
nearly 20 per cent since last month after forecasts of a
less-than-spectacular current quarter, is pinning its hopes on its
PlayBook tablet due to hit markets in Canada and the US April 19.
source :http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-14/telecom/29416895_1_blackberry-ceo-playbook-tablet-mike-lazaridis
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