HuffPo | You might have heard about Carrier IQ, software that comes pre-installed on millions of smartphones that has the capability to record and store your keystrokes, the text messages you send and receive, the Internet websites you visit and more. If you own a smartphone -- a BlackBerry, an iPhone, an Android, a Windows Phone, whatever -- you are probably wondering whether or not Carrier IQ is on your smartphone, and if it is, how you can remove it.
Here is a rundown of everything we know about Carrier IQ, OS by OS. For a full background on Carrier IQ, what it does and why it has so many people nervous, read my colleague Gerry Smith's thorough piece from earlier.
ANDROID
The furor over Carrier IQ started with the discovery of the nosy software on Android smartphones and is only getting noisier (Senator Al Franken recently asked Carrier IQ for an explanation of its practices).
Unless you have a rooted Android device, you won't be able to see if your phone is running Carrier IQ. But here's what we know:
No Nexus smartphones (the Google Nexus One, the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus) have Carrier IQ software, according to a source who spoke with The Verge. That source also claimed that no Motorola Xoom tablets have Carrier IQ.
- Verizon, the largest mobile carrier in the United States, told GigaOM in an email that it did not install Carrier IQ on any of its smartphones.
- Sprint has issued a statement to The Verge. They do use Carrier IQ -- from their statement
- The Kindle Fire tested negative for Carrier IQ, per Gizmodo.
- On Android phones, developer Trevor Eckhart has written an app that can detect and possibly remove Carrier IQ; however, your Android phone has to be "rooted," a step that the non-tech-savvy probably should not take. Better to wait for Carrier IQ and the carriers to resolve this mess than to risk bricking your phone, voiding the warranty or opening yourself up to malware.
WINDOWS PHONE
- 9to5Mac reports that Windows Phone appears to be totally free of Carrier IQ.
BLACKBERRY
Research in Motion told Business Insider that its phones do not have Carrier IQ preinstalled, nor does it authorize its carriers to do so. This does not mean, however, that carriers have not installed Carrier IQ without authorization.
The full statement:
Noted iOS hacker chpwn found traces of Carrier IQ in iPhones running iOS 3.1.1 and up -- all the way up to iOS 5. However, it appears that the verison of Carrier IQ installed was tracking much less information than it was on Android phones.
Here is a rundown of everything we know about Carrier IQ, OS by OS. For a full background on Carrier IQ, what it does and why it has so many people nervous, read my colleague Gerry Smith's thorough piece from earlier.
ANDROID
The furor over Carrier IQ started with the discovery of the nosy software on Android smartphones and is only getting noisier (Senator Al Franken recently asked Carrier IQ for an explanation of its practices).
Unless you have a rooted Android device, you won't be able to see if your phone is running Carrier IQ. But here's what we know:
No Nexus smartphones (the Google Nexus One, the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus) have Carrier IQ software, according to a source who spoke with The Verge. That source also claimed that no Motorola Xoom tablets have Carrier IQ.
- Verizon, the largest mobile carrier in the United States, told GigaOM in an email that it did not install Carrier IQ on any of its smartphones.
- Sprint has issued a statement to The Verge. They do use Carrier IQ -- from their statement
Carrier IQ provides information that allows Sprint, and other carriers that use it, to analyze our network performance and identify where we should be improving service. We also use the data to understand device performance so we can figure out when issues are occurring. We collect enough information to understand the customer experience with devices on our network and how to address any connection problems, but we do not and cannot look at the contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., using this tool. The information collected is not sold and we don't provide a direct feed of this data to anyone outside of Sprint.- AT&T and T-Mobile have not yet issued statements.
- The Kindle Fire tested negative for Carrier IQ, per Gizmodo.
- On Android phones, developer Trevor Eckhart has written an app that can detect and possibly remove Carrier IQ; however, your Android phone has to be "rooted," a step that the non-tech-savvy probably should not take. Better to wait for Carrier IQ and the carriers to resolve this mess than to risk bricking your phone, voiding the warranty or opening yourself up to malware.
WINDOWS PHONE
- 9to5Mac reports that Windows Phone appears to be totally free of Carrier IQ.
BLACKBERRY
Research in Motion told Business Insider that its phones do not have Carrier IQ preinstalled, nor does it authorize its carriers to do so. This does not mean, however, that carriers have not installed Carrier IQ without authorization.
The full statement:
RIM is aware of a recent claim by a security researcher that an application called “CarrierIQ” is installed on mobile devices from multiple vendors without the knowledge or consent of the device users. RIM does not pre-install the CarrierIQ app on BlackBerry smartphones or authorize its carrier partners to install the CarrierIQ app before sales or distribution. RIM also did not develop or commission the development of the CarrierIQ application, and has no involvement in the testing, promotion, or distribution of the app. RIM will continue to investigate reports and speculation related to CarrierIQ.IPHONE
Noted iOS hacker chpwn found traces of Carrier IQ in iPhones running iOS 3.1.1 and up -- all the way up to iOS 5. However, it appears that the verison of Carrier IQ installed was tracking much less information than it was on Android phones.
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