Is Your Cell Phone Company Spying On You?
They say no, but it looks like they have the means to watch and save everything you do, say and surf on a Droid smart phone. Trevor Eckhart is a developer for Droid phones and found a hidden program on an HTC Droid called Carrier IQ. What Carrier IQ does is log everything you do on your phone, even if it’s encrypted. He busted this story wide open by exposing just what Carrier IQ is capable of in this rather lengthy and revealing YouTube video:
As the article in Gizmodo states, start at about 9:00 minutes in to watch Carrier IQ in action.
So who is infected with this intended spyware? Apparently anyone with a decently modern Droid smart phone. It appears that some iPhones may have the program, but it is easily neutered. This appears to be an Android phone issue and it looks like it’s some of the cell phone companies that are asking manufacturers to install Carrier IQ. Apparently not everyone is affected (more like infected). From a c/net article:
HTC Android devices have no on-off switch for Carrier IQ, while Samsung devices do, but it is not easily accessible or pointed out to users, he said.
Because customers do not give explicit permission for this data collection and don’t even know this software is on their phones, and they can’t opt out of it, Eckhart says it is a clear privacy violation. He likens Carrier IQ to malware.
“Carrier IQ is rootkit software,” he wrote in his report. “It listens on the phones for commands contained in ‘tasking profiles’ sent a number of ways and returns whatever ‘metric’ was asked for.”
The test Eckhart shows in his video was being done with a phone manufactured by HTC. Just so happens I bought an HTC Evo 4G just a few weeks ago. I am not to happy with this at all. No reasonable person would expect that their cell phone provider would give themselves the secret ability to track every single thing you do on your phone. To say it is outrageous is an understatement!
My carrier is Sprint. What do they have to say for themselves?
A Sprint spokesman provided a general statement about the use of Carrier IQ, but did not provide comment to follow-up questions about whether customers know about the data collection and why they can’t opt out. Here is the Sprint 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.
Sprint maintains a serious commitment to respecting and protecting the privacy and security of each customer’s personally identifiable information and other customer data. A key element of this involves communicating with our customers about our information privacy practices. The Sprint privacy policy makes it clear we collect information that includes how a device is functioning and how it is being used. Carrier IQ is an integral part of the Sprint service.”
Bull-ony. Eckhart has clearly demonstrated the potential Carrier IQ has to spy on customers. If it’s no big deal then why install the software in secret and why make it so powerful? While it may not be practical for Sprint to spy on all of its customers all the time, they certainly have given themselves the ability to track and watch any of their customers they like. Eckhart asks the questions, what are phone companies doing with this information? and how long is it being stored?
HTC admits to installing the software for some of their customers like Sprint, and HTC is trying to pass the buck. From another c/net article:
Smartphone manufacturer HTC went further, telling All Things D that Carrier IQ is “required on devices by a number of U.S. carriers,” and suggesting that users contact carriers directly for more information.
While I guess HTC could claim that they don’t know the specific opt-in or opt-out practices by individual carriers like Sprint and AT&T (both admit to using Carrier IQ, Verizon denies using it) I feel like HTC has some responsibility to its customers here. HTC should have recognized the power of this software and blown the whistle on this. While HTC may not have the ability to track customers themselves, they have secretly handed that ability to providers like Sprint and AT&T. I wonder if someone inside the company raised these issues and was told to be quiet, or work elsewhere?
So. Now what? I still need to take the time to call and yell at Sprint and HTC. I am not happy about this and I feel like an appropriate remedy would be for them to provide me with a “virus” free phone. Whether that means a new (and “clean”) HTC Evo 4G or an iPhone. Here’s where it gets messy. I bought my phone through a promotion at Best Buy. Sprint and HTC would have to make the proper compensations to Best Buy as well as me, their supposed valued customer.
The other track to justice is perhaps more encouraging. Senator Al Franken from Minnesota (and Saturday Night Live fame) is already taking up this issue.
Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat who heads a Senate panel on privacy, sent a letter (PDF) today to Carrier IQ asking pointed questions, including what data are logged, what data are transmitted, and whether the company believes its software complies with federal privacy laws that prohibit wiretapping. Franken asked for a response by December 14.
Sprint, AT&T, HTC and others have a lot of answering to do. If there are millions of Sprint customers who deserve a new phone then I suppose Sprint will wait to be sued and try to minimize their damage. I’m hoping that Sprint will fix this by providing me a new phone or I guess I’ll have to wait and join the class action lawsuit that is sure to come.
Smart Phone
Finally I have entered the second decade of the 21st Century. I am now the proud owner of a phone that does everything but serve me my coffee in the morning (still looking for that ap).
I have to admit that I am kinda proud that I was able to get 4 years of use out of my Palm Centro, but its very clunky internet interface meant I wasn’t using any of my unlimited data that Sprint so generously charges me for every month. Unlimited is the only plan that makes sense for me (since my cell is my only phone). I had to do something.
Along comes Best Buy with a great deal last week. Spend $60 on “Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3″ and receive a FREE HTC phone (with 2 year agreement, offer void where prohibited). For Sprint customers (that’s me) that meant the $100 HTC Evo 4G was now $60 with a free case and awesome game thrown in!
I couldn’t be happier. I now have 27 versions of the Bible in my pocket. An 8 megapixel camera always at the ready. I can surf the web and check my Gmail while sitting in a waiting room or whatever. I have a to do list (now I just gotta do it) and a calendar with me always, and I now understand about Angry Birds. Addictive that game. In fact I still haven’t opened Call of Duty, but I have burned precious smart phone battery slingshoting (new word?) birds into feathery explosions of portable game joy.
With the GPS turned on I can now navigate life with a modern tool guaranteed to enhance the quality of my wasted time. As long as the battery holds up.
