Carrier IQ Might Track your Every Move

Watch out: your carrier might know your every move, thanks to a company called Carrier IQ. The company claims that it has its tracking software installed on 141 million mobile devices, probably including your smart phone. The software’s purpose? To know everything you do, everything you say, and everywhere you go.

Who is Carrier IQ?

Carrier IQ is a mobile analytics company. They track mobile usage of websites and apps, so that carriers, manufacturers and ad networks can target their products based on how their existing products are used. Most analytics companies are content to do only basic tracking of what websites you visit and the general region you use your device. Many people are frightened even of those basic things. Carrier IQ, however, takes things a step further.

The Carrier IQ software tracks every key you press on your phone. Every SMS you send and receive. Every call you make. Every app you install. Every website you visit. Your contact list. In short, Carrier IQ’s software tracks, well, everything.

When the software was first discovered, Carrier IQ tried to get the security researcher to shut up about the findings--it sent a nastily worded cease and desist letter to the man. But the news about the software quickly spread, and Carrier IQ fortunately couldn’t control it. They eventually withdrew the cease and desist.

What Devices is it on?

There isn’t a full list of devices that this software has been stuck on yet, but it seems to have been installed on a frightening number of devices. It was first seen on Android devices, thanks to their open nature. Many carriers have been pre-installng the app in a way you can’t remove it. You can check if your Android device has the rootkit if you have a rooted Android device by heading to the XDA forums here.

While iOS isn’t as open as Android, researchers found references to Carrier IQ in Apple’s phones, tablets and media players. It is believed that all modern Apple devices have the software installed by Apple itself. Unfortunately, it is hard to test for the software, considering Apple’s tight approach to its software.

Verizon claims that none of its phones have Carrier IQ software, which might not be true given the situation with the iPhone. Nokia and RIM also both claim to not use the software, so if you have products from either, you should be safe.

What’s going to happen?

We don’t know yet. The government has taken notice, which is good. Senator Al Franken, who mans the board on privacy and telecommunications, has asked the company to describe exactly what it is doing. Whether that will evolve into any real action for this insane breach of privacy we will have to wait to see.

If nothing else, those who have heard about the tracking software seem to be truly upset about it. We may see Carrier IQ disappear completely on new devices, if enough people speak out against it. But unless regulation is enacted that prevents this kind of monitoring, then another company will just do the same thing--and be more careful about being invisible.

We can only hope that congress does something to stop this madness.