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BlackBerry CEO: We'll Try To Break Our Own Encryption If Feds Demand It

Unlike Apple, Google and Microsoft, who've had their separate battles with U.S. law enforcement over recent years, BlackBerry hasn't been as strong in its condemnation of potential government overreach in accessing user data. And CEO John Chen today told Forbes the company would comply with court orders asking it to break its encryption and carry out wiretaps on targets specified.

But Chen, speaking at a press Q&A during the BlackBerry Security Summit in London on Tuesday, claimed that it wasn't so simple for BlackBerry to crack its own protections. "Only when the government gives us a court order we will start tracking it. Then the question is: how good is the encryption?

"Today's encryption has got to the point where it's rather difficult, even for ourselves, to break it, to break our own encryption... it's not an easily breakable thing. We will only attempt to do that if we have the right court order. The fact that we will honor the court order doesn't imply we could actually get it done."

That approach appears very different to that of the world's most profitable smartphone company: Apple. It fought the government's attempts to break its security protections, when the FBI demanded it help the agency acquire data from the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Many tech giants, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft, signed amicus briefs in support of Apple. BlackBerry did not sign.

Chen also said there were no plans for a transparency report that would reveal more about the company's work with government. "No one has really asked us for it. We don't really have a policy on whether we will do it or not. Just like every major technology company that deals with telecoms, we obviously have quite a number of requests around the world."

The BlackBerry CEO was bullish on his company's operating system security, claiming that not only did the company make the most secure version of Android, but that it was better at protecting user data than Apple and other competitors. The company offers a range of phones running Android, including the KeyOne, DTEK and Priv devices. Chen said the key to the security within its Android devices was its QNX microkernel for Linux, the core of the operating system. "It's highly tested, probably the most secure operating system, both on the approach and the investment that we made in security," the BlackBerry chief added.

The Ontario, Canada-based firm, since a decline in phone sales with the rise of iOS and Android, has looked away from just making phones to focus more on software, security and services. On Tuesday, it announced plans to provide automotive cybersecurity services, providing car manufacturers with additional tools to fight of hackers.

Does BlackBerry have the key?

Whilst Chen's comments would indicate that BlackBerry does not have the keys to access communications flowing through its servers, and would have to create technical measures to circumvent its own security if the law demanded it, the company has faced questions before over what it can provide when orders come in. A Viceinvestigation last year found evidence Canada's government had obtained "global encryption key" to unlock data on all messages on BlackBerry's BBM platform.

At the time Chen neither confirmed nor denied the claims made in the report, relating to a mafia murder case that lasted from 2010 to 2012. "In the end, the case resulted in a major criminal organization being dismantled. Regarding BlackBerry’s assistance, I can reaffirm that we stood by our lawful access principles," he added, in a broad, non-specific blog post.

Lame cowards

[conite]

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