RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis got angry in an interview on BBC when asked about BlackBerry problems in India and the Middle East. He ordered a BBC reporter to end the interview when asked about problem with India and West Asian countries over security issues.
Lazaridis said, “That’s just not fair”. He said this to BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones after he asked him question about problems with India and West Asian countries.
Lazaridis looked downwards, visibly upset and said: “First of all, we have no security problem. We’ve got the most secure platform. We are just singled out because we’re so successful in the world. BlackBerry is an iconic product and is used by businesses, celebrities, consumers, teenagers… we are just singled out just because of our success.” India has more than a million BlackBerry users.
Mike Lazaridis said, “The interview is over. You can’t use that, Rory. It’s not just fair. This is a national security issue. Turn that off.”He went off BBC office after saying this to reporter. BBC has also posted this interview on their website.
BlackBerry mobile services have been facing security problems in India with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Ministry has asked telecom operators to either provide monitoring facility to security agencies or stop offering their services. With more than a million BlackBerry subscribers, India is emerging as the fastest growing market for RIM.
