RIM (NASDAQ: RIMM) co-CEO Jim Balsillie has no objections if companies that make use of its secure BlackBerry smartphones want to hand over their encryption keys to government officials. However, RIM itself has no way of providing the unencrypted content of the emails that passes through its network operating center (NOC), since it doesn't have the keys in the first place.

This was the most direct answer to date given by RIM in response to government sanctioned wiretapping, a topic that was brought to the front even as countries such as the United Arab Emirates and India have threatened to ban the BlackBerry service unless RIM accede to their demands to a backdoor into its encryption system. Other countries such as Lebanon, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia were reportedly considering similar steps.

Indeed, even the FBI appears to be pressing for new regulations--to be submitted to lawmakers next year, to compel service providers and software makers to be technically capable of complying with a wiretap order, encryption or not. I have additional thoughts on this front, so do check out today's commentary.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at MSNBC
- check out this article at New York Times
- check out this article at Wired

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