Carrier IQ Tracking: Your Questions Answered-gctid47460

[Ajamu]

Carrier IQ Tracking: Your Questions Answered | PCWorld

By Ian Paul, PCWorld                    Dec 1, 2011 6:38 AM

Many cellphone users are wondering whether their Android and BlackBerry devices are spying on them  after security researcher Trevor Eckhart recently claimed that a piece  of diagnostic software on the phones was acting like malware. Eckhart  said the software, created by company Carrier IQ and installed on  devices by phone manufacturers and carriers, was secretly recording user  data such as keystrokes and Web browsing history. Carrier IQ's software  is on more than 140 million handsets worldwide.

 Carrier IQ denies Eckhart's allegations and says its technology is  only used for diagnostic purposes to improve handset performance and  network quality.

So  is Carrier IQ up to no good? Is the company's software collecting more  information from your handset than it should? Or is this just a big  misunderstanding about what Carrier IQ's software does?
 Here's a breakdown of what we know.

 What was discovered?

Eckhart published a report  in mid-November about a piece of software created by Carrier IQ. This  software is supposed to be a diagnostic tool that helps manufacturers  and carriers improve the quality of their services. But Eckhart claimed  Carrier IQ's software is actually a rootkit that secretly logs your  phone's activity.

 Carrier IQ diagnostic software comes installed on many phones  including Android and BlackBerry devices, according to Eckhart. Carrier  IQ software was later discovered on iOS devices but it appears to be  benign.

 What was the software doing?

 Eckhart posted a video to YouTube  [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T17XQI_AYNo&feature=player_embedded]video to YouTube[/ame]  showing what he said was Carrier IQ software running on an HTC handset.  In the video, the Carrier IQ software appears to be logging key presses  (including the phone's number pad), SMS messages, location data, and  Web browsing history including encrypted data traveling over https  (SSL). It's not clear whether this data was then sent to Carrier IQ.

 Does it do the same thing on all phones?

 Eckhart's demonstration shows only what Carrier IQ's software was  doing on an HTC phone. Samsung devices appear to log some of the same  information including screen taps and browser URLs, according to  Eckhart's report.

 Developer Grant Paul  (no relation to the author) claims that on iOS devices, Carrier IQ  software was accessing a more limited set of information including your  phone number, carrier, country, when a phone call is active, and your  location if Location Services is turned on.

 The Verge  is reporting that Carrier IQ software is not on Motorola's Xoom or  Nexus-branded Android phones including the Nexus One, Nexus S, and  Galaxy Nexus.
                                   
Can Carrier IQ software be removed?

 It doesn't appear to be possible to remove this software on an Android phone unless you have a rooted device.

 Paul says you can stop Carrier IQ on iOS 5 devices by turning off "Diagnostics and united snakesge" in the Settings application.

 What is Carrier IQ?

 Carrier IQ is a California-based company that offers "accurate, real-time data"  to carriers and device makers to help them improve their services.  Carrier IQ's data is pulled from diagnostic software embedded on  handsets that the carrier and/or device maker sells to customers.  Carrier IQ says its diagnostic software provides "actionable  intelligence" to improve network quality, understand device issues and  ultimately improve the user experience.

 Carrier IQ software is embedded on more than 140 million handsets worldwide.

 Carrier IQ's response

 Carrier IQ says its software does not record keystrokes, and does not  inspect or report the content of your SMS messages or e-mail. Carrier  IQ also said it does not provide tracking tools and does not sell the  data it collects to third parties.

 Instead, the company claims its software identifies handset performance issues such as dropped calls and poor network service.

 Carrier IQ also denied providing "real-time data reporting to any customer." Which is confusing since the company's website states,  "Carrier IQ's Mobile Service Intelligence solution eliminates guesswork  by automatically providing accurate, real-time data direct from the  source -- your customers' handsets."

 Did Carrier IQ do anything else?

 On Nov. 16, Carrier IQ issued a cease-and-desist letter to Eckhart.  The letter demanded that Eckhart remove his research from the Web and  replace it with a statement prepared by the company that rebutted  Eckhart's earlier claims.

 The company also wanted Eckhart to remove Carrier IQ copyrighted  materials that he posted on his website including company training  materials that were previously available on the company's site. Carrier  IQ also wanted a list of all the people (including their contact  information) that Eckhart had shared Carrier IQ's copyrighted  information with.

 Eckhart received legal support from the Electronic Frontier Foundation on Nov. 21. Carrier IQ retracted its demands two days later and issued an apology to Eckhart.

 What's next?

 It's unclear what, if anything, will happen as a result of Eckhart's  report. Carrier IQ says it plans on discussing its software with the  Electronic Frontier Foundation, which may produce some answers as there  are definitely some big questions that need to be answered. Not least of  which is, "If Carrier IQ software is not logging keystrokes then why  does it appear to be identifying them in the first place?"

[Agya Yaw]

Meda ase Ajamu. I laugh when I read this stuff. The only way we're not being spied on is if you're not using any cellphone/computer. Then they have go back to old conventional ways for spying. The Patriot Act has made this more obvious and open than before.
:gyenyame:

[Ajamu]

i'm wit'ya!  No doubt everything's tracked & we should take that for granted - but even for some of us that say this, we still think there's some limit & act like we ain't being tracked just like the tagged seals, eagles, kwk.