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I was just commenting to my wife how odd it is that the new Motorola Droid ads tout their phones as "self-aware" as if that's a good thing. Then I ran across this disquieting news...
I mean, it's not really surprising, and I guess what's really critical is learning how all this tracked personal data is used, but...sure seems evil. I await the wisdom of the Asher.
If you use an Android, BlackBerry, or Nokia smartphone then you may be at risk of being illegally wire-tapped by Carrier IQ--a provider of performance monitoring software for smartphones--according to reports.
Earlier this month, security researcher Trevor Eckhart announced that he found software made by Carrier IQ that may be logging your every move on your mobile phone. Trevor referred to it as a "rootkit", a piece of software that hides itself while utilizing privileged access like watching your every move. Carrier IQ didn't take too kindly to this accusation, and responded aggressively with a cease-and-desist letter, and went on to deny this accusation. However, to further back his accusation, Eckhart released a video that he says shows the software in action.
In the video, Eckhart navigates to a list of running applications on his phone, and he found that the application IQRD--made by Carrier IQ--was not shown. However, when he searched all of the applications on the device, Eckhart discovered that IQRD showed up with the option to force stop it; therefore, he determined that the app must have been running. However, when he tried to stop the application, the force stop function did absolutely nothing. Additionally, this application always runs when the device is started, according to his research.
After connecting his HTC device to his computer, Trevor found that IQRD is secretly logging every single button that he taps on the phone--even on the touchscreen number pad. IQRD is also shown to be logging text messages.
Earlier this month, security researcher Trevor Eckhart announced that he found software made by Carrier IQ that may be logging your every move on your mobile phone. Trevor referred to it as a "rootkit", a piece of software that hides itself while utilizing privileged access like watching your every move. Carrier IQ didn't take too kindly to this accusation, and responded aggressively with a cease-and-desist letter, and went on to deny this accusation. However, to further back his accusation, Eckhart released a video that he says shows the software in action.
In the video, Eckhart navigates to a list of running applications on his phone, and he found that the application IQRD--made by Carrier IQ--was not shown. However, when he searched all of the applications on the device, Eckhart discovered that IQRD showed up with the option to force stop it; therefore, he determined that the app must have been running. However, when he tried to stop the application, the force stop function did absolutely nothing. Additionally, this application always runs when the device is started, according to his research.
After connecting his HTC device to his computer, Trevor found that IQRD is secretly logging every single button that he taps on the phone--even on the touchscreen number pad. IQRD is also shown to be logging text messages.
According to Carrier IQ (pdf)"Carrier IQ’s Mobile Intelligence platform is currently deployed with more than 150 million devices worldwide."
Paul Ohm, a former Justice Department prosecutor and professor at the University of Colorado Law School, told Forbes that this isn't just creepy, but it's also likely grounds for a class action lawsuit, citing a federal wiretapping law.
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