Would Bill C-285 outlaw BlackBerry in Canada?

By Mauricio

There is just no love for Canadian BlackBerry users.

By Rafael Ruffolo:

Enterprises have the same objectives as law enforcers do in many cases, they ultimately want to prevent data leakages and protect their businesses from outside harm. But some technology analysts say proposed legislation requiring all technology to be wiretappable sends the wrong message to Canadian businesses

A recently tabled bill requiring an interception capability for all technology sold by Canadian ISPs and wireless carriers passes would discourage IT investment among enterprises and hurt the Canadian technology sector, industry observers argue.

Bill C-285, or the Modernization of Investigative Techniques Act, was re-tabled by Liberal MP Marlene Jennings last month after originally dying upon the call of the 2006 federal election. The proposed legislation aims to make life easier for law enforcement agencies to wiretap new and emerging technologies, such as BlackBerry smart phones.

But some analysts are arguing that the legislation would have a detrimental impact to tech dependant businesses and keep enterprise security experts up at night.

“We’re getting conflicting messages from the government on this front,” Carmi Levy, an independent technology analyst based in London, Ont., said. “The biggest challenge to wireless adoption has been the confidence in their overall level of security. Now you have this proposed act that would essentially give law enforcement a backdoor into any platform.”

Read more @ itWorldCanada.com

Thoughts?