Earlier this year, a smartphone called the Blackphone was announced. Just in case you are hearing about it for the first time, it is basically a smartphone that comes with a host of security features that will supposedly prevent the likes of the NSA from getting into your emails and messages, which is great for those who are particularly concerned about your privacy, or who might have sensitive work documents on their devices.
Unfortunately BlackBerry did not take the launch of the Blackphone too well, especially since security is one of the things that BlackBerry is known for, especially in the government and enterprise space. The Canadian company claimed that unlike their products, the Blackphone in inadequate for business, claiming that its security features were “inferior”.
Well based on a statement released by the company behind the device, SGP Technologies, it seems that they aren’t taking it lying down. According to them, they acknowledged BlackBerry’s contributions over the past few years, but at the same time claimed that the company had compromised on its integrity after governments had pressured them into revealing what was supposed to be secure and confidential messages.
“Unfortunately, the world discovered in 2010 that RIM was willing to compromise its integrity if sufficient pressure was applied by governments intent on spying on the messages sent via the ubiquitous devices. Various statements from the Saudi, UAE, Indian, and other telecom regulatory bodies all confirmed the same thing: RIM made it technically possible for the formerly-secret encrypted messages to be decrypted and viewed.”
They went as far as saying that it was “a betrayal of the objectives of privacy,” but what do you guys think? Does the Blackphone has what it takes to take on the likes of an established player such as BlackBerry? Or does BlackBerry make a good point themselves?
Filed in . Read more about BlackBerry, Blackphone and Security.