Carrier IQ Android OEM tracking software... logs your every move... and not happy about XDA

[rockymtnhigh]

xda-developers member threatened with lawsuit for exposing Android OEM tracking software | The Verge

If you've been following the Android hacking scene lately, you might have heard about some scary-sounding software called Carrier IQ — it's loaded up at the kernel level on devices by HTC, Samsung, and others, and creates detailed logs of everything that happens on a phone without user intervention or control. That's bad enough, but now Carrier IQ is going after xda member Trevor Eckhart (TrevE), the security researcher who discovered it. The company sent an incredibly aggressive cease-and-desist letter to him last week, claiming that he was infringing the copyright in the publicly-available training materials he reposted on his site and demanding that he replace his post with a full retraction and issue the same retraction as a press release. That's a little intense, even for a company that feels wronged — but it's a particularly bad move for a company that needs to reassure people it's not spying on them.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I am not an Android user anymore, but dang, this type of stuff just irks me to no end...

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Here is the company's response.

http://www.carrieriq.com/Media_Alert_User_Experience_Matters_11_16_11.pdf

I still say it stinks...

 

[JamesJ]

Every phone maker I am sure is taking part in this...I am 100% sure this isnt limited to android...all though it isnt labeled carrier iq on apple, or windows or blackberry. What scares me is the phones that are locked down and you cant see what they are doing..behind closed doors scares me.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Here is the report that got Carrier IQ into a tizzy: CarrierIQ | Android Security Test

And the Electronic Freedom Frontier's response:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/carrieriq-censor-research-baseless-legal-threat

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Carrier IQ has stock clients for Android, Blackberry, and Nokia (s60).

The XDA researcher was smart to get EFF to represent him. They attacked back with a vengeance.

 

[diogen]

Another good reason to run plain vanilla Cyanogen...

The rootkit creator seems to be much smarter than Sony
Carrier IQ retracts cease and desist letter sent to security researcher, says it doesn't track Android users | The Verge
They certainly didn't want somebody like Mark Russinovich dissect their shenanigans.

Good news. Not that it answers any questions, mind you...

Diogen.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Interesting development. C&D the C&D.

Carrier IQ Retracts Their C&D, Apologizes To The Android Researcher They Hassled | TechCrunch

 

[digiblur]

No CIQ here in my rom on my epic. Its gone like the wind!

 

[rockymtnhigh]

No CIQ here in my rom on my epic. Its gone like the wind!

But for the VAST MAJORITY of end-users, who are not rooted, and who think being rooted sounds like a bad dental procedure, it is still there.

 

[digiblur]

I saw on another forum that CIQ offered an apology to the dev.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I saw on another forum that CIQ offered an apology to the dev.

Digi, read three posts above yours.

Sent from my iPad using SatelliteGuys

 

[diogen]

Some fog clearing on this latest Big Brother attempt.
It might be not them (CarrierIQ) trying to play nice with the hacking community.
It could well be more of an attempt to save their business kind of thing.
At least this impression can one get after reading this.

...I decided to randomly search a bit on Google about data collection acts, laws, and such, and I came across something called PIPEDA Act in Canada, the ECHR in Europe, and NPP in Australia. All of these basically encompass one rule (and of course, these are my own words): if you have no legal businesses with data collection, more than likely you cannot collect it. The NPP goes a few steps further and state that the user MUST know what is being collected, by whom, and who it is being shared with.

Diogen.

 

[Hall]

Interesting development. C&D the C&D.

Carrier IQ Retracts Their C&D, Apologizes To The Android Researcher They Hassled | TechCrunch

Amazing !! A company apologized... The typical thing they do is NOTHING or pretend it never happened and hope it goes away.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Amazing !! A company apologized... The typical thing they do is NOTHING or pretend it never happened and hope it goes away.

I think they want out of the limelight given the nature of their business.

 

[HIFI]

I think they want out of the limelight given the nature of their business.

BINGO!!!

 

[John Kotches]

I think they want out of the limelight given the nature of their business.

is it getting any notice outside of the geek/enthusiast community?

This isn't a flippant question. i would hazard a guess that few people know about this.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

 

[rockymtnhigh]

is it getting any notice outside of the geek/enthusiast community?

This isn't a flippant question. i would hazard a guess that few people know about this.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

Agreed. Few people know about it. BUT it is making the tech blog rounds.

 

[Hall]

Agreed. Few people know about it. BUT it is making the tech blog rounds.

Who reads those sites though ? Just geeks... When it's reported on Yahoo! News or CNN or people start posting about it in status updates on Facebook (I can only imagine the amount of misinformation !!), then the carriers will go into damage-control mode.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

gizmodo is not ready to let this story die.

Your Android Phone Is Secretly Recording Everything You Do