People buy Blackberry phones in a handphone shop at the International Trade Centre Ambassador shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia.Dimas Ardian for The Globe And Mail
RIM has built a $15-billion (U.S.) business by pitching the BlackBerry as the world's most secure wireless communication device, but is now under mounting pressure to maintain that reputation in the face of demands by some governments for easier access to data.
On Wednesday Indonesia joined a growing group of countries that includes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates who want the device maker to give governments easier access to private messages.
Indonesia, with a population of 242 million and an estimated 1.2 million BlackBerry devices, and the UAE with its 500,000 BlackBerry users, are a key part of RIM's global expansion plans.
India, home to more than a billion people and one of the world's most important emerging markets for mobile devices, has also voiced concerns about RIM's data security.
Together, the four countries represent an estimated 5 to 10 per cent of the company's global revenue.
As pressure intensifies to find a compromise, an awkward spotlight is being shone on the often murky world of global communications, where what is publicly announced rarely reflects the vast array of complicated - and sometimes controversial - arrangements Western technology companies strike with governments around the world.
This poses a critical difficulty for RIM.
Its BlackBerry's security features, which include routing data through the company's own secure servers, are a big part of its global brand.
As the company faces increased competition from smart phone makers in the North America, it needs to tread very carefully with anxious or authoritarian governments in developing economies.
RIM has ways of dealing with government's concerns privately, but gets no commercial gain from making these concessions public.
"In the history of extremely secure telecom and computing systems that have been sold, it has long been rumoured that ultrasecure systems have back doors installed for national security purposes," said Deloitte technology analyst Duncan Stewart.
"All kinds of compromises are open, but not all kind of compromises will be admitted to."
Ronald Deibert, who runs a global Internet research lab at the University of Toronto, says a researcher based in the United Arab Emirates recently noticed Web searches made on BlackBerry devices are censored.
This could be the result of a local Internet provider, but Mr. Deibert said it is likely one of many compromises RIM has made for operating in countries where regimes restrict or monitor the flow of information.
These governments want access to RIM's secure servers so they can monitor dissidents, opposition politicians and human rights advocates, Mr. Deibert said.
The complaints highlight RIM's growing, global influence, but also make it subject to the same sort of compromises and subsequent human rights and privacy concerns that have dogged Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., and other international technology firms.
For RIM, however, its most crucial concern is giving the impression that its highly secure servers are not as secure as they seem.
RIM has claimed it has no access to its users' data.
In a statement on Monday, the company said: "While RIM does not disclose confidential regulatory discussions that take place with any government, RIM assures its customers that it is committed to continue delivering highly secure and innovative products."
If RIM is forced into a public compromise, it could tarnish the company's brand, while opening up the possibility that corrupt governments with access to sensitive data may use it illegitimately.
And carriers also have concerns. With Canadians roaming overseas, and their wireless communications potentially subject to government monitoring, carriers here are watching closely.
"We are monitoring the situation and are in the midst of evaluating the implications of UAE's potential decision for our roaming customers," said a spokeswoman for Rogers Communications Inc., Canada's largest wireless provider.