The German government has signed off on BlackBerry's acquisition of German company Secusmart , according to local media.
Secusmart is the company that develops the software and hardware to protect government phones, including the “Merkel Phone” used by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who switched to a more secure device when it was revealed that the National Security Agency ( NSA ) was monitoring her communications.
"The German government has examined the planned purchase/acquisition of Secusmart by Blackberry and has given its approval to proceed," an economy ministry spokesman said on Friday, according to Reuters.
As early as July 2014, the Canadian mobile phone manufacturer had issued an announcement regarding the acquisition of Secusmart.
To get Berlin's approval, the phone maker apparently had to agree to a series of government requirements. It would have to give full access to its source code to the German information security agency, known as BSI.
Furthermore, Berlin stipulates that Secusmart will continue to take place in Germany and dictates a "binding" agreement that BlackBerry will not share personal information with foreign governments or intelligence agencies.
