“Amid what’s snowballing into a major privacy controversy, AT&T, Sprint, HTC and Samsung today confirmed that that their mobile phones integrate a controversial piece of tracking software from a company called Carrier IQ,” Jaikumar Vijayan reports for Computerworld
“Both wireless carriers AT&T and Sprint insisted that the software is being used solely to improve wireless network performance while phone makers HTC and Samsung said they were integrating the software into their handsets only because their carrier customers were asking for it,” Vijayan reports. “T-Mobile said that it, too, uses Carrier IQ’s software.”
Vijayan reports, “Verizon, Nokia and Research in Motion issued categorical denials to Computerworld that their products include Carrier IQ software… In a statement, Android maker HTC said that Carrier IQ is required on its devices by a “number of U.S. carriers.” The company did not say whether the carriers are asking for the software to be integrated into both its Android and its Windows Phone OS devices… A Samsung spokeswoman said the company integrates Carrier IQ into its products at the request of carriers. It did not specify which of its handsets carries the software.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple: We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5; never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other info – December 1, 2011
Senator Al Franken! Paging Senator Al Franken! – December 1, 2011
Video shows secret software on millions of Android, BlackBerry, and Nokia phones logging everything you do – November 30, 2011
Still not sure what the biggy is.
I integrate Carrier IQ software into all my friends as a prerequisite for my friendship so that I may know where they are, who they are talking to, and what they are saying at all times.
If it is required by the carriers as HTC and Samsung claim… Why is Apple not “required” to include it?
This is a case of the others not realizing what the consequences would be should it be discovered. Apple learned the lesson months ago with that “tracking” accusation all of them were investigated for a few months back and decided to ensure there was nothing in their IOS or hardware that could be suspect. The other platforms and mfgs should have seen what could happen then and taken the same precautions … They got caught with their pants down and Apple looks like they are the only ones safeguarding consumer privacy.
It helps to have people who take these potential minefields seriously …. Especially after recently almost being blown up
Don’t worry, Google will get another passon this by the shitty press that infests the globe today.
Carrier Spying = Carrier Intelligence
Carrier Intelligence = Carrier IQ
Carrier IQ = Eric Schmidt’s wet dream
Shame, shame shame on you Apple for having it in the first place. Your loyalty should be towards us, the customers. Opt-in opt-out, not all devices, previous versions had it future versions won’t all these jazz would have been unnecessary if you had taken a bold stance on saying an unequivocal no to this privacy slayer. Google did (with Nexus) and MS did, you should have done at least that. Fail.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
With iPhones, which we know have the program in them, turning off Carrier IQ’s service is easy if you’re running iOS 5.x Just head to:
Settings > General > About > Diagnostics & Usage
and click “Don’t Send” on.
On iOS3 or 4, I don’t know of any current way to disable the service. If anyone does know, do share.
@krquet
Instead of continuing to spout, read Apple’s statement.
I don’t think it’s a problem for Apple.
http://allthingsd.com/20111201/apple-we-stopped-supporting-carrieriq-with-ios-5/
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/index.html
“Verizon, Nokia and Research in Motion issued categorical denials to Computerworld that their products include Carrier IQ software…”
Yes, but do they have OTHER internal or third-party root kit software?
It is a newest model yes ? Samsung and Htc together will be the best. As i saw, it has great functions, i’ll buy it , but if you know, when will be this model in Europe?