Whether the BlackBerry service in India has 500,000 users or a million, is not quite relevant. The point is a simple one. BlackBerry services can be, and are, used by terrorists and so the intelligence agencies need to be able to intercept them. While BlackBerry allows the US intelligence agencies to do this, it does not do the same in countries like India. This is not acceptable.
However, it must be pointed out that the government also needs to get its act together. India does not have a very good record of protecting safety and it has to be ensured the information got from BlackBerry is not misused.
Arvind Seth, New Delhi