- U.S. senator asks company to clarify ‘deeply troubling’ allegations
- Lawsuit for privacy violation filed in Illinois
- Nokia, BlackBerry, Apple distance themselves
- ‘Carrier IQ’ claims it does not ‘record’ information
- Still unclear if software is used by non-US networks
Last updated at 2:46 PM on 7th December 2011
The storm around the ‘Carrier IQ’ software used in US mobile phones has led US Senators to question the company, lawsuits, and questions over how many handsets carry the monitoring software – and what exactly it does
Spyware researcher Trevor Eckhart showed off a video this week demonstrating that ‘Carrier IQ’ – software buried deep within the operating systems of American mobiles to provide mobile carriers with information – might be snooping a little more than it should.
Eckhart’s demonstration showed the software ‘reading’ the contents of text messages and web browsing on an HTC Android phone, and transmitting the information.
Since then, handset makers such as RIM, Nokia and Apple have rushed to distance themselves from the software – portraying the ‘spyware’ as an Android-only problem.
Eckhart’s demo used an HTC phone (pictured).
Since then, US Senator Al Franken has asked the software company to respond to Eckhart’s claim – and an Illinois resident has filed a lawsuit against the company.
Illinois Erin Janek filed a lawsuit against Carrier IQ and handset maker HTC – which Eckhart used for his demonstration – alleging illegal interception of information.
Eckhart’s demo showed that the software, which is supposed to provide mobile phone networks with information on how handsets are used, ‘read’ and transmitted the contents of SMS messages, and also monitored web browsing.
Carrier IQ – whose software is used on millions of handsets across the US – released a statement.
‘While a few individuals have identified that there is a great deal of information available to the Carrier IQ software inside the handset, our software does not record, store or transmit the contents of SMS messages, email, photographs, audio or video,’ the company said.
‘For example, we understand whether an SMS was sent accurately, but do not record or transmit the content of the SMS. We know which applications are draining your battery, but do not capture the screen.’
Eckhart’s video demonstration appeared to show the company capturing information illegally – but Carrier IQ maintains it does not ‘store or record’ any records of SMS or web use
It’s still unclear whether the application does ‘log’ keystrokes – or, if so, how this data is used.
Handset makers rushed to distance themselves from the software, which is installed by phone networks to monitor usage.
Research In Motion RIM does not install, nor authorize, its carrier partners to install “Carrier IQ” monitoring software on its BlackBerry smartphones, the company said on Thursday.
RIM made the statement after a security researcher said the ‘Carrier IQ’ application, which can monitor what device users are doing, has been installed on mobile devices from multiple vendors without the knowledge or consent of customers.
Trevor Eckhart, the researcher who demonstrated in online videos how the software works, focused on devices using Google’s GOOG.O Android operating system, but he also mentioned other operating systems, including RIM’s BlackBerry and Nokia’s NOK1V.HE Symbian system as having the software installed.
Nokia also denied their phones used the software.
Handset makers such as Nokia, makers of the Lumia (pictured), said that Carrier IQ software was not installed on their handsets
‘CarrierIQ does not ship products for any Nokia devices,’ a company spokesman said.
U.S. Senator Al Franken asked software maker Carrier IQ to respond to claims by an independent security researcher that its products collect and transmit potentially sensitive data about millions of mobile phone users.
The video shows a piece of software tracking Eckhart as he turns his phone on and off, punches numbers to make a call and records text message in plain text.
‘The revelation that the locations and other sensitive data of millions of Americans are being secretly recorded and possibly transmitted is deeply troubling,’ Franken said in a statement. ‘Carrier IQ has a lot of questions to answer.’
In his letter, he asked the company for details on the types of data its software collects and what it does with that information.
ATT and Sprint Nextel both said they use the software in their devices to collect information that helps them improve network and service performance.
‘We do use carrier IQ, but we do not and cannot look at the contents of messages, etc., as some have speculated,” said Sprint spokeswoman Stephanie Vinge-Walsh.
Apple Inc said that some devices, including iPhones, that run on its iOS 4 operating system use the Carrier IQ software, but that it does not work with the newer iOS 5.
In a statement posted to its website last month, Carrier IQ said its software is used by network operators to help improve network quality and troubleshoot device problems.
“While we look at many aspects of a device’s performance, we are counting and summarizing performance, not recording keystrokes, or providing tracking tools,” the Mountain View, California-based company said.
Since Eckhart’s videos first appeared, a firestorm of criticism has erupted in online forums and on Twitter, where users complain about breach of privacy.
Carrier IQ immediately tried to suppress Eckhart’s report.
The
Electronic Freedom Foundation, an activist group which promotes free
speech online, said, ‘Carrier IQ fired off a cease-and-desist letter to
Eckhart, claiming that he infringed its copyrights and made unspecified
false allegations about its software.
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The American government treat their own people like cattle – what frustrates me most is that the UK and Europe allow the U.S. to do the same with us. They sell us down the river for any price.
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This is why it’s a good thing that Apple go through developers’ code with a fine toothed comb before approving it and publishing it on the app store.
– Mike, Manchester, 04/12/2011 14:28 ***********************
Well Mike, you are misinformed. Firstly Carrier IQ is not an app, and secondly, a researcher recently managed to have an Apple app published that contained malicious code. When he informed Apple of this he was barred from submitting new apps for 6 months, not the thanks you would expect when proving that the app submission process has its flaws.
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Sonera of Finland HuaWei Ideos X5 Android demands ALL User information when entering an Application. This information may be sold forward by the ASP-Telecoms company for own benefit. Is this legal?
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This is why it’s a good thing that Apple go through developers’ code with a fine toothed comb before approving it and publishing it on the app store.
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I have what is a pretty dumb phone, an old Nokia, perfect for making phone calls and texting. I had a smart phone but the screen, whist relatively large, is pretty useless for displaying web pages. It was good for e mails but I don’t let e mails rule my life. It was also very expensive. So its gone and the dumb phone is back. I don’t need lots of applications to keep myself amused. Stuff big brother.
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Apple FTW, Paignton wrote:”Apple do not do such a thing. Even there worst enemy, microsoft couldn’t find a patch on Apple” Well it’s nice to see such an unbiased, informative, reassuring and so well documented information…..
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Apple do not do such a thing. Even there worst enemy, microsoft couldn’t find a patch on Apple
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Release the software under the GPL so it is available for everyone to look at.
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Just read the small print on EVERY app that you down-load,They have access To everything on your phone, and they track your every move,weather the app is on or not. On doing so you allow them do distribute every bit of information on your phone to all and sundry. BE Careful.
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They all want to play Big Brother and invade one of our most important freedoms, that of privacy. All the claims of the info helping them to make a better phone are all a farce. The companies will now go into face saving mode to ensure that their sales do not slacken.
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