Carrier IQ caught 'snooping'

[Gremlinzzz]

The maker of the smartphone software that triggered a snooping row has been called to account by a US Senator.
Senator Al Franken has written to Carrier IQ asking it to explain the "troubling" findings of security expert Trevor Eckhart.

Mr Eckhart claimed Carrier IQ software could log everything people did on their smartphones but did not ask for consent to record data.
Carrier IQ claims its software is deployed on more than 140 million devices.
The software has been found on Samsung handsets and some Android phones from HTC. Both said it was installed at the request of operators.

It has also been found on the iPhone 4. Apple said it had stopped using the software on the iPhone 4S and other devices running its iOS 5 system software.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TrevorEckhart

The row blew up after Mr Eckhart posted a video on YouTube that he said showed Carrier IQ could record a user's location, keystrokes and the websites they visited.:popcorn:

[forrestcupp]

I thought the news already came out that this isn't completely true.

[Gremlinzzz]

I thought the news already came out that this isn't completely true.

it seems new news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology/

3 December 2011 Last updated at 02:15 ET
:popcorn:

side note if you watch the video Trevors using Ubuntu

[Basher101]

and this is EXACTLY why i love my old phone. It is enough to play mp3 files from my micro SD stick and i can all ppl. Need nothing more.

regards

[IWantFroyo]

I use a rooted Android, but I took out the SIM card (for at home use- like an iTouch). It's running CM7.1. I'm not sure if I'm vulnerable or not. Grrr...

I use a flip phone as my main cell, so I'm okay there.

[aysiu]

I use a rooted Android, but I took out the SIM card (for at home use- like an iTouch). It's running CM7.1. I'm not sure if I'm vulnerable or not. Grrr...

I use a flip phone as my main cell, so I'm okay there.
Cyanogen's clean.

[Dry Lips]

Here is an article that appeared on the website of Scientific American:

Is Carrier IQ’s Data-Logging Phone Software Helpful or a Hacker’s Goldmine? (http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2011/12/03/is-carrier-iqs-data-logging-phone-software-helpful-or-a-hackers-goldmine/)

[forrestcupp]

it seems new news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology/

3 December 2011 Last updated at 02:15 ET
:popcorn:

side note if you watch the video Trevors using Ubuntu

It's older news than that, but I was wrong about it being untrue. There's a chance they could be in big trouble for breaking wire tapping laws.

[weasel fierce]

I guess I just kind of assumed that this was happening already. Nothing that's communicated on a cell phone should be considered private.

[aysiu]

I guess I just kind of assumed that this was happening already. Nothing that's communicated on a cell phone should be considered private.
There's more to it than that: While other services have you actually agree to terms and conditions and/or provide you with a privacy policy, Carrier IQ does neither. Carrier IQ logs key presses uniquely. This includes individual numbers on the soft keyboard (regardless of what program you're using them for) as well as three of the four hard buttons. Carrier IQ logs the URLs of https sites before they're sent encrypted. Carrier IQ cannot be removed without rooting. Unlike other preinstalled apps that cannot be removed without rooting, Carrier IQ cannot even be stopped with a Force Stop. Carrier IQ has more permissions on your phone than any other application, including the ones from Google.

[weasel fierce]

There's more to it than that: While other services have you actually agree to terms and conditions and/or provide you with a privacy policy, Carrier IQ does neither. Carrier IQ logs key presses uniquely. This includes individual numbers on the soft keyboard (regardless of what program you're using them for) as well as three of the four hard buttons. Carrier IQ logs the URLs of https sites before they're sent encrypted. Carrier IQ cannot be removed without rooting. Unlike other preinstalled apps that cannot be removed without rooting, Carrier IQ cannot even be stopped with a Force Stop. Carrier IQ has more permissions on your phone than any other application, including the ones from Google.

Oh, don't get me wrong, it's dirty business, and there's a massive amount of finger pointing and shuffling of feet going on.
I am not condoning that this happen, just saying that I always figured it was.
Does that make any sense?

The amount of faith people should have in cell phone carriers should be about 0%

[forrestcupp]

Verizon Wireless says they don't use Carrier IQ, and I can say that I don't see it anywhere on my phone.

But honestly, do you think they have time to sort through billions of phones just to find out if little ole you is looking at porn or not? I highly doubt if any human eyes are going to see anything that you are doing and relate it to you.

[Docaltmed]

Verizon Wireless says they don't use Carrier IQ, and I can say that I don't see it anywhere on my phone.

But honestly, do you think they have time to sort through billions of phones just to find out if little ole you is looking at porn or not? I highly doubt if any human eyes are going to see anything that you are doing and relate it to you.

Lemme see...comprehensive citizen tracking + Senate bill permitting indefinate detention without representation = police state.

No thanks. I'll be more than happy to join the inevitable class-action lawsuit.


EDIT: Here's a firm that is filing one, if anyone wants to find out about signing up:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apple-htc-samsung-motorola-att-sprint-t-mobile-and-carrier-iq-sued-in-delaware-federal-court-in-cell-phone-tracking-software-scandal-134938178.html

[whiskeylover]

It always starts off with "If you're not doing anything wrong, why do you care?"

[kio_http]

This is what I dislike about many systems created by large coorporations for end users. Even Windows is not exactly innocent. But not allowing you to opt out is a really big issue here. Doesn't this violate data protection law?

[ctrlmd]

This is what I dislike about many systems created by large coorporations for end users. Even Windows is not exactly innocent. But not allowing you to opt out is a really big issue here. Doesn't this violate data protection law?

windows phone 7 and webOS are the only os's not affected

[Paqman]

Cyanogen's clean.

*does little Cyanogen-based dance of smugness*

Although this exact problem seems to be confined to the US, the whole reason I switched to a custom ROM was because my handset came from Vodafone with a lot of pre-loaded apps that were of dubious value and couldn't be removed. If the network is embedding stuff that tenaciously into the versions of Android they ship it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if some kind of similar software was found on UK phones.

And I'm not even a particularly paranoid dude.

[alphacrucis2]

Verizon Wireless says they don't use Carrier IQ, and I can say that I don't see it anywhere on my phone.

But honestly, do you think they have time to sort through billions of phones just to find out if little ole you is looking at porn or not? I highly doubt if any human eyes are going to see anything that you are doing and relate it to you.


Or recording your online banking credentials. They are recording everything you type in.

[kio_http]

windows phone 7 and webOS are the only os's not affected

1) I was not referring to Carirer IQ but rather to similar implementations that exist.

2) Actually I was talking about Windows for desktops and laptops.

[forrestcupp]

It always starts off with "If you're not doing anything wrong, why do you care?"Sometimes I may do things that I'm ashamed of, but I don't do things that are illegal. The most illegal thing you'll see me doing is breaking the speed limit by a few mph. ;)


Or recording your online banking credentials. They are recording everything you type in.

That's the only thing I would actually be worried about. But I don't do any financial things on Android, so I'm safe there, too. But fortunately, I don't have to worry anyway, since I'm on Verizon Wireless.