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Facing the threat of new competition from International Business Machines Corp. and Apple Inc., BlackBerry Ltd. is winning a vote of support from the German government, still reeling from revelations of spying by U.S. intelligence agencies. On Monday, Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior said it wants more of its officials using encrypted BlackBerrys.

The ministry uses 3,000 encrypted BlackBerry devices outfitted with technology made by German firm Secusmart that makes them less susceptible to eavesdropping, said interior ministry spokesman Tobias Plate in a phone interview.

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“More and more” of these encrypted devices made by the Waterloo, Ont.-based company are being bought for federal government employees and the number is “constantly rising”, said Mr. Plate.

Only BlackBerry smartphones comply with the ministry’s security standards for use with Secusmart’s technology, he said Monday.