Carrier IQ: Verizon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, AT&T And Others Speak Out On Phone 'Tracking' Controversy

Mobile software company Carrier IQ has responded to the massive outcry following researcher Trevor Eckhart's damning video that exposes a CIQ app embedded deep into the operating software on many smartphones. According to Eckhart, the software shown in the video logs text messages, dialed calls, URL searches and more -- all without the user's knowledge.

While some believe that CIQ's software may violate users' rights to privacy, the company disagrees.

In a statement emailed to The Huffington Post, CIQ asserts that its software, which is not easily removed by the average user, is merely a diagnostic tool used by its mobile operator customers to assess and improve the quality of a network's services.

"Carrier IQ acts as an agent for the Operators," the company said in its statement.

"We measure and summarize performance of the device to assist Operators in delivering better service," the statement also read. "[O]ur software does not record, store or transmit the contents of SMS messages, email, photographs, audio or video."

CIQ said that its services are used to address problems with call quality and device battery life.

In an interview with AllThingsD, Carrier IQ CEO Larry Lenhart said that operators -- not Carrier IQ -- decide what data to collect from users. "They make that decision based on their privacy standards and their agreement with their users, and we implement it," Lenhart said.

The emailed statement from CIQ goes on to state that users' data is transmitted only to the mobile operators who use the company's services. "Carrier IQ does not sell personal subscriber information to 3rd parties," the company said.

CIQ admitted that, while it transmits data to mobile operators via encrypted channels, the ultimate security of that data rests in the hands of the operators.

On Thursday, Senator Al Franken said that Carrier IQ's software may prompt Congress to consider new legislation regarding the protection of consumers' personal information. Franken, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, wrote the following in a letter to CIQ: "The revelation that the locations and other sensitive data of millions of Americans are being secretly recorded and possibly transmitted is deeply troubling."

As a result of the controversy, a number of mobile carriers and device manufacturers have come forward to clarify their relationship with CIQ. Take a look at our slideshow (below) to read statements from Apple, Google, Microsoft, Verizon, AT&T, HTC, Nokia, RIM and others.

Comments

[Caged Ideas]

11:58 AM on 12/03/2011

Those of you who think just buying an i-phone or updating your OS is a fix, need to listen up. ALL CELL PHONES are tracked, and anything on them can be using against you so long as the phone is connected to a "network". The "cell" in cell phone refers to the towers themselves­­, to guarantee quality of service your provider needs to know where your device is at all times, so ALL CELL PHONES "smart" and "dumb" are tracked. Recent news mentioned a device called the stingray that can be used like a "portable cell tower" to find your phone wherever it is.

Now the tricky part is how exposed are you? To answer that you need to consider how "smart" your phone actually is? Does it have GPS? Does it have internet access? Does it have a camera? Does it have expanded capabiliti­­es to run applicatio­­ns? Well... Since it is connected to an active network, not only can the cell phone service provider locate you down to a few feet thanks to the GPS but so can a jealous partner or employer with software available online, an applicatio­­n designer / owner, a tech savvy computer geek, or someone with the monopoly of power like government­­, can use everything on that device that you can and more. Find us on facebook under "caged ideas LLC" for more informatio­­n.

[Joe man]

11:22 AM on 12/03/2011

I don't want this kind of software running on any of my devices whatsoever. If this software is left on devices we are not free and Big Brother IS watching us.

Compromise is not forthcoming, nor is it acceptable, and if my senator and congressperson does not stop I I will vote against them.

I hope they take this message seriously!

[Jean-Vart Vaughn]

07:45 AM on 12/03/2011

CIQ = A company with secret ties to the Government.

[Madmac]

01:44 AM on 12/03/2011

Verizon is flat out lying to you. They are CIQ customers. Ck with pastebin for proof

[trp981]

12:39 AM on 12/03/2011

Zeroth Law of Technology: Whatever can be done will be done, irrespective of ethical considerations. The carriers may be sorry that they were caught, but not that they did it in the first place. CIQ will morph into something else, and whoever implements it next will be more clever not to get caught.

[pciorlandosales]

11:58 PM on 12/02/2011

Brings to mind the new thing out there. Some shopping malls are pinging cell phones to determine customer habits. For instance if 30 people with cells go into Sports Authority in one hour they can tell this. Then they follow that ping throughout the mall etc.

[RevSpaminator]

09:21 PM on 12/02/2011

If you can root your Android device you can probably remove the software and/or replace the OS entirely with something a little less Orwellian like CyanogenMod...

Now if we can just find out what the radio image is doing...

[LightShadow62]

08:45 PM on 12/02/2011

Update to the hysteria:

I have check wireless service agreements from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile and all of them contain clauses authorizing them to collect usage data from your phone. The very information that is actually collected by CIQ (contrary to Eckhart's claim). Since you sign the agreement you have given consent for the data to be collected, it is not the fault of the carrier that you did not fully read the legal document placed in front of you.

[Raymond Foret]

10:02 PM on 12/02/2011

The terms of use IS stated up front AND IF YOU WANT OR NEED A PHONE you have to agree OR NOT GET THE PHONE. Just because the "language " is there and it is your prerogative to sign the agreement or not does not give these corporations the right to your private information. If they "need " this information to make their products better THEY SHOULD REIMBURSE YOU FOR YOUR WORK HELPING TO MAKE THEIR SYSTEM BETTER, and in turn more profitable, JUST ASK for our help, do not deliberately hide it from us. THAT IS UNETHICAL!

[LightShadow62]

10:33 PM on 12/02/2011

In legal terms, by putting it in the agreement, they DID ask your permission and everybody with a cell phone agreed to it.

CIQ, contrary to the erroneous reporting from Eckhart, does not record any user specific information. I would be more worried about someone 'bugging' a server that handles all of the data traffic from your device.

As for "helping to make their system better": Without the data you can bet that service charges would be higher because the providers would have to either send teams out to every inch of the country to test the signal quality or start sticking very expensive towers up randomly hoping to fill in any possible dead zones.

[WSAY]

10:34 AM on 12/03/2011

Except your don't know what you are talking about.

[LightShadow62]

11:42 AM on 12/03/2011

This coming from the dark night of ignorance.

[TheColouredEuropean]

07:55 PM on 12/02/2011

I guess RepuKKKes will be scrambling to get all the phone data from Democrats' phones now....

[robert deen]

09:47 AM on 12/03/2011

U guessed WRONG - that's a Dimokkkrat tactic(Dims invented the KKK)

[kimhoulian]

08:13 PM on 12/03/2011

and the GOP tea heads are maintaining that invention

[Maddox01a]

06:50 PM on 12/02/2011

Simple solution:

Samsung Infuse...Root phone...grab this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17612559&postcount=110

use it to kill CIQ.

This is very bad on all carriers that use this stuff. Give me the option to enable it just like everyone else is now explicitly asking to allow tracking.

The excuse that "by continuing to use the device, you accept our privacy policy and data collection methods" is no longer acceptable. If my phone is comprised through no fault of my own and the carrier's software is found to have allowed my data to get into the wild?

There will be hell to pay.

When will all of the fools get a clue. People want their privacy and just because we pay you doesn't entitle you to everything, in fact quite the opposite. I pay you to provide data and voice services to my device using your network. That's it! Nothig more and sure as hell doesn't give you permission to collect every fracking keystroke and link and app I run.

THIS IS MY DEVICE, NOT YOURS!!! I DON'T LEASE IT, I'VE BOUGHT IT CONTRACT OR NO! JUST BECAUSE YOU CHOSE TO SUBSIDIZE IT WITH A NEW CONTRACT DOESN'T ENTITLE YOU TO ALL THE DATA AND USAGE INFO WITHOUT MY CONSENT!

IF THE SUBSIDY MEANS I'M YOUR B-TCH THEN I YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT I'M GONNA DO NEXT...

[Cthulhu On Call]

04:53 PM on 12/02/2011

I know some people that see conspiracies everywhere, they think that the government tracks their movements on the streets with surveillance cameras. I've always found this to be more than a little paranoid, but then this comes along.

There really isn't any explanation that they can offer for why it's ok for them to keep track of what we put in our text messages through this outside company (Carrier IQ). I can't come up with a reasonable explanation for this. This is such a blatant violation of our privacy that some heads need to roll on this one, people need to go to jail.

[empress trudy]

04:48 PM on 12/02/2011

According to CNET there's little if anything to this and there's no evidence of keylogging.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57335715-281/how-carrier-iq-was-wrongly-accused-of-keylogging/

Of course to most of the HuffPo readership this is merely proof through lack of evidence.

[WSAY]

04:57 PM on 12/02/2011

As opposed to just accepting the word of a company.

[StinkyPete0279]

11:17 AM on 12/03/2011

If it was Apple, you would not only accept their word, you would defend it no matter the evidence. Nice try.

[daymon hoag]

12:28 AM on 12/03/2011

The video I saw showed key logging, so I don't know how anyone can say it isn't. This is pretty black and white. It either is, or it isn't, and from what I saw it most definitely is.

[phatemu]

04:17 PM on 12/02/2011

BS. Lies and more lies. The surveillance state evolves.

[berrycuda]

03:35 PM on 12/02/2011

Well, if I ever decide to get a dumb phone, it will now clearly be an iPhone and Verizon.
the others cannot be trusted...

I hate this, since Apple is just a rip off.

Think I'll keep me land line forever now.

[WSAY]

04:58 PM on 12/02/2011

Who needs you....

[NoireLion]

09:34 PM on 12/03/2011

I hear verizon doesnt use CIQ- they have something called falcon?
They were clear they dont use CIQ.... but they didnt say they didnt use something similar.

[David LS]

03:11 PM on 12/02/2011

Pass the blame game.
No government, corporation or individual should ever have any of your personal information that has not been expressly given to them by you.
Selling of your personal data by banks, stores and online entities is already out of hand.
Even the healthcare industry has found ways to skirt HIPAA standards for their own benefit.
There needs to be changes and not committee meetings.
People need to realize that have the power to boycott those products or services that infringe on their basic rights.

[LightShadow62]

03:23 PM on 12/02/2011

They would not need an app on your phone to grab your text, call and web surfing data, that info could be pulled at the server. Not trying to freak anyone out I am just stating fact.

The CIQ program and those provided by other companies track the performance information from phones. This includes information on dropped calls, signal strength and battery life. No one who has actually looked at the data file created by CIQ has found any personal information our anything else that could identify the user.
The loudest voice on this, Eckhart, has used a debug utility and tried to pass it off as the information recorded by CIQ. He has provided NO proof of his claims.

[David LS]

03:49 PM on 12/02/2011

Regardless of your gullibility about the Carriers and CIQ stated use, the fact is a program runs in a hidden mode on "your" device without your knowledge.
How you can possible perceive that a US company not farming available data is not realistic.
The Carriers are the offenders as proven by the fact that non users of CIQ like Nokia have it on their phones which is done by some form of Carrier update after manufacture.

[WSAY]

10:41 AM on 12/03/2011

He doesn't need "PROOF" at this stage. If you knew something about the law you would get that. These cases are good cases. You need to get educated.

[WSAY]

04:58 PM on 12/02/2011

They used to be able to sue, but the conservatives on the Supreme Court struck down class actions.

[David LS]

05:19 PM on 12/02/2011

Its a constitutional issue so class actions suits will be prevelant