Blackberry Makers Research In Motion (RIM) has offered to help UK police forces in tracking down rioters and looters after several days of violence and destruction in London and other cities. Rioters are said to have Used BBM's to coordinate their activities as they go about their looting keeping them one step ahead of the out numbered police.
The RIP Act could allow the UK police to force RIM to hand over information from its encrypted network, which can only be accessed through RIM's master keys, which it reserves for special legal situations like the one that has arisen over the weekend.
The riots, which began on Saturday night in response to the fatal shooting of a man by police, have caused havoc across London, with several 'copycat' riots erupting in other cities across the UK. Many people have been injured, shops have been looted, and a number of buildings have been set on fire.
The London Metropolitan Police has thousands of officers on duty to tackle the disruption. This number will swell to 16,000 over the next 24 hours. So far there have been around 450 confirmed arrests. This figure will likely grow over the coming days and could reach into the thousands if RIM agrees to hand over incriminating data to the police.
Source: The inquirer.
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