None other than BlackBerry CEO John Chen today let it be known that he’s not too happy about recent product leaks and that he’s taking action to cut these down.
One of the most frustrating things for all of us at BlackBerry is when a critical and confidential project is reported in the media before we are ready to discuss it. Leaks are, at their best, distracting, and at their worst downright misleading to our stakeholders. The business implications of a leak are seldom advantageous.
BlackBerry is taking legal action against an unnamed party who obtained and made public confidential information about a future BlackBerry product. This person apparently gained access to the information by posing as an employee of one of the company’s carrier partners. If so, let’s hope that BlackBerry is also reviewing its own internal processes to ensure that it properly authenticates those who have access to its confidential information.
Chen acknowledges that leaks can be a sign of “people’s genuine interest in BlackBerry” and can be “a tremendous asset for us as a brand.” But this will not deter the company from taking “appropriate actions” to prevent further leaks. Among these will be “prosecuting individuals — internally or externally — who leak confidential information.”
While leaks can heighten the attention focused on a product, we saw just yesterday how detrimental they can be to a company. The HTC One (M8) announcement yesterday effectively revealed little that was new after a wave of rumours effectively revealed all that there was to know about the device before its announcement.
We’ll have to see how effective Chen is at stamping out product leaks but it is not always easy. Sony has been trying to stamp out leaks but could not prevent them from revealing the Xperia Z2 before its launch at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
Source : Inside BlackBerry Blog