India reportedly targeting Skype and Google

New Delhi: India's showdown with BlackBerry could reportedly widen to encompass Google and Skype after the government threatened to cut off core features of the popular smartphone on security grounds.

Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry's Canadian maker, gave no immediate indication that it would accede to the latest pressure from an emerging economy to open up its services to security agencies.

"If a technical solution is not provided by August 31, 2010, the government will review the position and take steps to block" BlackBerry email and messenger services, India's home ministry said late on Thursday.

New Delhi, battling insurgencies ranging from Kashmir in the northwest to the far-flung northeast, fears heavily encrypted BlackBerry communications could be used by militants.

Islamic attackers used mobile and satellite phones to coordinate the brazen three-day assault on Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166 people.

India's security concerns are not confined to RIM with other communications providers such as Google and the internet telephony firm Skype also in its sights, according to Friday's Financial Times.

It reported that the government wanted a broad solution to enable possible interception and monitoring of all internet-based traffic.