Article: Carrier IQ Android, Symbian and BlackBerry Spyware Records Everything Users Do, No Easy Way to Disable

[Phillip Swanson]

Android, Symbian and Blackberry phones secretly record everything you do.

Locationgate looks like Apple tried to sneak a few gummy bears from the candy section at the supermarket compared to this. Fast forward to the nine minute mark in the video above for what Gizmodo calls “the damning sequence.”

The culprit is a piece of software called Carrier IQ. It lurks in the deep recesses of nearly every modern Android, Symbian and Blackberry phone sold in the U.S. and literally records everything you do. The program even circumvents web encryption to grab passwords and Google queries. Manufacturers and carriers are the ones installing this software and using this data to provide “a better user experience.” With no way to opt-out this is essentially forced surveillance.

The video above, recorded by 25-year-old Android developer Trevor Eckhart, displays where Carrier IQ lurks and information it gathers. The company who develops the spyware describes it as “the only embedded analytics company to support millions of devices simultaneously, we give wireless Carriers and Handset Manufacturers unprecedented insight into their customers’ mobile experience.”

Users google queries, passwords, location, and access to their bank accounts would presumably qualify as “unprecedented insight.”

The software is installed on nearly every Android phone as well as Blackberry and Nokia smartphones. Whether the phone is purchased on contract or off contract is irrelevant, Carrier IQ’s software is there. Users are never notified in any fashion that Carrier IQ is running let alone asked to opt-in or opt-out. It’s installed in your Android phone at the deepest level, recording everything you do and operating under a cloak of invisibility.

Carrier IQ has issued a statement denying the accusations stating “While we look at many aspects of a device’s performance, we are counting and summarizing performance, not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools.”

The video clearly shows this is not true. Keystrokes submit unique key codes to Carrier iQ allowing them to identify what you are doing on the phone. User’s actions on the web are encrypted, but Carrier IQ sits between the browser and the user so everything the user does Carrier IQ Grabs and submits in plain text. Carrier IQ even ignores requests by the user to disallow applications from knowing the user's location logging the user’s location anyway. User's incoming text messages are actually logged by Carrier IQ before the user receives them. Information over HTTPS while browsing isn't even safe.



There is no easy way to remove the spyware, no notification that is running and 99.9% of cell phone users don’t possess the programming skills to deactivate it. Eckhart, a developer, even finds the spyware difficult to remove. Eckhart asks “Why is this no opt-in and why is it so hard to fully remove?”

This is a question Carrier IQ, every carrier, and every handset manufacturer need to answer immediately. They should have answered it yesterday by never installing the spyware. This is illegal. A violation of Android users’ rights and a gigantic black eye for carriers and Android handset manufacturers everywhere. Many in the Android community scoffed at Apple’s Locationgate scandal, and many manufacturers and carriers took action with their own phones to disable “location tracking.” Either that was a bold-faced lie, or carriers and handset makers operate their companies with both eyes closed and hands over their ears.

While this doesn’t affect iDevice users directly, the fact something like this could go on for so long unabated is disgusting. Expect more on this soon.

Source: Gizmodo, Threat Level, Android Security Test

[BenderRodriguez]

So this is all about Androids and not Apple products at all?

Yes I read the article

[spazturtle]

You failed to mention that only Sprint and a few other [US] carriers use this software.

[Selwin Snape]

My gf has an android and she is gonna be pissed when she hears about this. Lol.

[Phillip Swanson]

So this is all about Androids and not Apple products at all?

Yes I read the article

Yes, but mobile security issues like this are relavent no matter the operating platform, especially when they affect this many people. How many Android news sites do you think reported on Apple's locationgate issues?

You failed to mention that only Sprint and a few other [US] carriers use this software.

Which means this affects only millions of phones. Not a lot of people at all.

[vantheman169]

I smell a class action lawsuit brewing. Nice post. I will stick with iOS. This is just 1 more reason i love my iPhone

[GmAz]

Yet another reason I use ROMS. AOSP roms like CM7 don't have this.

[redline11786]

So this is all about Androids and not Apple products at all?

Yes I read the article

Yes it is about Android and not Apple. Is there a complaint somewhere?? I, for one, would like to know whats going on in the competition. But pay no attention to that detail...The fact is that this is a HUGE deal to the whole mobile community and their rights as users. I'm sure you know many Android users who would appreciate your telling them about this.

I hope this opens up to question iOS though. How are we sure that Carrier IQ isn't found somewhere deep in iOS? Glad this came up before I put my pre-order in on the Asus Transformer Prime. Btw, is this only found in mobile phones or is this also in tablets running Android?

Thanks for reporting this Mr. Swanson, much appreciated. PLEASE keep us updated!! Android devices, as well as other affected operating systems, are about to see a huge spike in sales with the holiday season as well as CES right around the corner.

[spazturtle]

Yes it is about Android and not Apple. Is there a complaint somewhere?? I, for one, would like to know whats going on in the competition. But pay no attention to that detail...The fact is that this is a HUGE deal to the whole mobile community and their rights as users. I'm sure you know many Android users who would appreciate your telling them about this.

I hope this opens up to question iOS though. How are we sure that Carrier IQ isn't found somewhere deep in iOS? Glad this came up before I put my pre-order in on the Asus Transformer Prime. Btw, is this only found in mobile phones or is this also in tablets running Android?

Thanks for reporting this Mr. Swanson, much appreciated. PLEASE keep us updated!! Android devices, as well as other affected operating systems, are about to see a huge spike in sales with the holiday season as well as CES right around the corner.

Carrier IQ is found in all the phones that Sprint and a few other mobile carriers sell, unless you buy the tablet or phone directly form the carrier you will not have this software installed.

[Cellular]

Lol people think apple doesn't do this. Every company does this it's called data mining...even though android does it illegally apple just makes you press "i agree" lol

User: what I am not going to let you chop off my b**ls!

Apple: you agreed!

[Colby21]

This has more to do with the carriers and manufacturers and less to do with Android.I swear, every time you writers get a chance to bash android, you do. You're supposed to be unbiased. report the facts in an unbiased way or don't report at all!Verizon and Sprint hired CIQ and ordered Samsung and HTC to put these in their phones and tablets. It's not necessarily and android thing because Samsung doesn't just make smartphones.

[dsg]

it's still a breach of privacy and against human rights whether it's only a small amount of carriers/company's doing it or all of them, it's not right and they should have the full weight of the law come down on them because of that fact

[redline11786]

This has more to do with the carriers and manufacturers and less to do with Android.I swear, every time you writers get a chance to bash android, you do. You're supposed to be unbiased. report the facts in an unbiased way or don't report at all!Verizon and Sprint hired CIQ and ordered Samsung and HTC to put these in their phones and tablets. It's not necessarily and android thing because Samsung doesn't just make smartphones.

I would have to say it's about both. My girl has an Android phone on Sprint so, yea, my concern is there. Also, as reported in the article, this is also in Nokia and Blackberry so I dont really see anything bias in here. But its important for the huge market share of Android users in particular to be notified of this. Don't be so quick to bash a report that's intending to expose a huge fault in our rights to privacy.

May I ask you what, in particular, you thought was biased or nonfactual about the article?

[rel1215]

This has more to do with the carriers and manufacturers and less to do with Android.I swear, every time you writers get a chance to bash android, you do. You're supposed to be unbiased. report the facts in an unbiased way or don't report at all!Verizon and Sprint hired CIQ and ordered Samsung and HTC to put these in their phones and tablets. It's not necessarily and android thing because Samsung doesn't just make smartphones.

considering the fact that apple has never let carriers load up their phones w/ crapware, i'd say that google and its manufacturing partners do have something to do with this. android is a HUGE part of the smartphone market. with that comes a ton of power, and they don't use any of that power EVER to keep this crap off their devices and out of customers lives.

[Bernie-Mac]

This has more to do with the carriers and manufacturers and less to do with Android.I swear, every time you writers get a chance to bash android, you do. You're supposed to be unbiased. report the facts in an unbiased way or don't report at all!Verizon and Sprint hired CIQ and ordered Samsung and HTC to put these in their phones and tablets. It's not necessarily and android thing because Samsung doesn't just make smartphones.

A website dedicated to the iPhone and its ecosystem is supposed to be unbiased? Unrealistic expectations much?

[Pvt Parts]

I've been in the dm business for almost 20 years and I can tell you that this info is useful and valuable to marketers and socially acceptable "in it's most generic form"!!! IE: Adults aged 24 - 32 with 2.3 children average income ....... but marketing overlays have nothing to do with passwords, encrypted data, access info to bank accounts etc. There is only one organization I can think of that would want immediate, unrestricted access to this data without a court order.

[Rescuer]

ModMyi : Apple, iPhone and iPad News so........ let's remove this already. put it in an off topic forum, not headline news

[jOnGarrett]

You failed to mention that only Sprint and a few other [US] carriers use this software.

he also said most modern Android phones. my Galaxy S II is free from this. also there is a way to know if your phone has it. all you have to do is go into settings and view running processes. http://bit.ly/vf5BaU

AND yes, it can be removed. xda-developers - View Single Post - [DEV|APPv7] CIQ / HTC & Google Checkin / HTC loggers / Tell HTC Info & Removal

why is modmyi trying to cause panic with this article. at least give all the information but you guys do a much much better than those clowns at iDownloadblog.

[Anthony Bouchard]

he also said most modern Android phones. my Galaxy S II is free from this. also there is a way to know if your phone has it. all you have to do is go into settings and view running processes. http://bit.ly/vf5BaU

AND yes, it can be removed. xda-developers - View Single Post - [DEV|APPv7] CIQ / HTC & Google Checkin / HTC loggers / Tell HTC Info & Removal

why is modmyi trying to cause panic with this article. at least give all the information but you guys do a much much better than those clowns at iDownloadblog.

Android in trouble? ..HUH WHERE?! *Puts on Speedos*

I much prefer the applications that are preloaded onto my iPhone much more than what I read about in this article.

[coltonbyu8]

Holy ****! why is this not a bigger story? When apple tracked a little bit of data it was huge, when google tracked a little bit of data it was huge, but when many carriers and handset makers track ever aspect to the T, EVERYTHING, its just on a few tech blogs?