BlackBerry chief ends BBC interview after India query

Research In Motion (RIM) founder Mike Lazaridis ordered a BBC reporter to end an interview after he was asked about his problems with India and Middle Eastern countries over security issues.

Research In Motion (RIM) founder Mike Lazaridis ordered a BBC reporter to end an interview after he was asked about his problems with India and Middle Eastern countries over security issues.
‘That’s just not fair,’ Lazaridis shot back at BBC Technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones after one of his questions.

India and some Middle Eastern countries are seeking access to BlackBerry enterprise emails in view of national security issues.

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 pressed him further on India, 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 assure 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. Tweet