Carrier IQ disputes FBI connection
It has not been an easy few weeks for Carrier IQ,聽a聽California software firm. In late November,聽Android developer Trevor Eckhart聽聽a video, alleging that Carrier IQ 鈥� which services聽Sprint, RIM, and聽HTC, among others 鈥� was surreptitiously logging the keystrokes of mobile phone users.
Carrier IQ was pelted with complaints and queries, from ordinary users and from US senators.听
Apple reps聽said聽they聽would banish Carrier IQ software from its devices completely.
Sprint and AT&T sought to distance themselves from Carrier IQ.
Most recently, a tech reporter filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act, inquiring as to whether any information had passed between Carrier IQ and the FBI. The FBI the request. Carrier IQ it would not give information to a government agency.
Carrier IQ reps, for their part, admitted that company software had the ability to record a "treasure trove" of information, but denied the allegations that it logged every keystroke entered by users. Now, the embattled company has taken an even firmer stand, issuing a 19-page report entitled "Understanding Carrier IQ Technology."
"Our investigation of Trevor Eckhart's video indicates that location, key presses, SMS and other information appears in log files as a result of debug messages from pre-production handset manufacturer software," the Carrier IQ team writes in the document. "Specifically it appears that the handset manufacturer software's debug capabilities remained 'switched on' in devices sold to consumers."
Carrier IQ maintains that manufacturers should be flipping that same switch to "off."
PC World has a more of the report, which is worth reading in full. In the meantime, you can expect Carrier IQ brass to continue attempting to shore up support. Mostly recently,聽Carrier IQ CEO Larry Lenhart and marketing VP Andrew Coward spoke to John聽Paczkowski of All Things D.听
"We鈥檙e a diagnostic software company. We love diagnostic information. We are not interested in content," Lenhart All Things D this week. "And that鈥檚 where we draw the line. We don鈥檛 want content, and we don鈥檛 have the ability to capture it. Remember, the information that鈥檚 captured off a user鈥檚 device is determined by the carrier, according to their privacy agreement."
So will the full-court media press help? Well, as Stan Schroeder over at Mashable, "this latest report is far too complex to help end users understand whether Carrier IQ is 'evil.' It will, however, help Carrier IQ prepare to face a class-action lawsuit and/or an聽FTC probe, and it might generate some interesting commentary from experts in the following days."
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