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Discuss Carrier IQ and privacy?

Crashdamage

Android Expert
Feb 25, 2011
4,407
2,752
Kansas City, Mo.
Thought some might wanna discuss Carrier IQ and privacy. (See the news in the forum or Google 'Carrier IQ') This seems particularly evil, pre-installed malware.

Known to be on many Verizon and Sprint phones. I don't know about AT&T or T-Mobile. T-Mo has not responded on their support site. I just called T-Mo and had a good if uninformative discussion with a T-Mo tech support supervisor who had not yet heard of Carrier IQ. Promised to see if he could find out if T-Mo is using it and call or email back.

Anyone know of a list of carriers, manufacturers or phones models using Carrier IQ?

EDIT: Basic check to see if it's running on your phone...
Look under Menu > Settings > Applications > Running services. Check for 'IQ Agent Service'.
 
They released a 1-page PDF in response to the negative media buzz: LINK

The software is used in smartphones, tablets, and is claimed to be for optimizing user experience and overall quality. They claim it doesn't log keystrokes or track locations.

Now, regardless of whether or not they're blowing smoke, why can't we have the option to uninstall it if we wish? It's our hardware.
 
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I have a hard time understanding how this level of detailed tracking without permission could be legal. Many thanks to Trevor Eckhart for exposing this.

I still have the DInc (while waiting for the SGN) and I didn't see any indication that CIQ was installed. Am I missing anything? If it doesn't already exist, we should start a list of which android devices have it and which don't.
 
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TMO has this. Told them it sounded too much like CIQ and no thanks.



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Look under Menu > Settings > Applications > Running services. On my phone it is listed as IQ Agent Service.
Not listed there on my T-Mobile/HTC G2. I'll be able to check a T-Mo/LG G2x tomorrow. Hopefully not used on any T-Mo phones. So far as I know only Verizon and Sprint have been confirmed.

I assume unlocked phones not bought from a provider will be safe. I agree someone should start a sticky list of verified safe/unsafe phones and providers.
 
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REPOST:
Is this software on your smartphone? Eckhart has created an Android app that can check, but it’s not available from the Android Market – you’ll have to sideload it directly from the developer’s own site. Eckhart notes that it’s found on HTC and Samsung Android phones. Samsung phones offer a hard-to-access way to turn it off, while HTC does not.

No one has listed which phones. The article says Samsung does have a way to turn it off, but doesn't say how. If this is going to be discussed, how about some more information on who is using it, which phones, and if there is an opt out, however convoluted, post it. Besides rooting and using Cyanogen Mod.

I don't see it under running apps on the SGS4G. However, phone is rooted and a lot of extra carrier junk got deleted. No custom ROM.

Is that download from the developer safe?
 
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I'm looking over Google's privacy policy and this key term has a vague ending:



There's no mention of 3rd parties collecting and supplying user data to Google, or at least none that I can find. This is the real problem - not that Carrier IQ exists, but that it doesn't ask for consent of collecting personal user data, and that IS a real problem.

This is not really a Google issue. The software is added to the phone by the carrier, not Google.
 
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The guy who found and reported on Carrier IQ has an app that supposedly detects it and is available here. The app does all kinds of logging as well. I have not been able to get the app to work quite right on my phone so I can't vouch for it. It does have a button that you can push to see if your phone has Carrier IQ on it though.

Edit: I got it to run on my phone. It did ask for SU rights (which I granted it), but I don't know for sure if it needs them in order to detect Carrier IQ. It's a logging app and I'm sure it would need them to do certain kinds of logging. I ran the detector on my phone (DInc2). I don't think it detected it, but I'm honestly not 100% sure. It's not very clear to me and I'd need to see a screen shot from a phone that is known to have the software to be sure. If you've got a phone that is known to have Carrier IQ on it and can run this tool and post a screenshot, I'd appreciate it.
 
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If this is going to be discussed, how about some more information on who is using it, which phones, and if there is an opt out, however convoluted, post it.
I agree someone should start a sticky list of verified safe/unsafe phones and providers. But I'm kinda new here and not sure how to or if I even could. I just started this thread because I thought it deserved some attention and discussion.
 
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