UK mobile networks: We don’t use Carrier IQ

When 25-year-old Trevor Eckhart made the discovery of an app called Carrier IQ that has been installed secretly on most Android, BlackBerry, and Nokia phones  in the US, the ire of many mobile phone users was raised. The video that he recorded also showed how the app reported almost every action that the user did on his or her device, raising privacy issues as many felt that their privacy was being violated.

In their defense, Carrier IQ explained that their apps were for “gathering information off the handset to understand the mobile-user experience, where phone calls are dropped, where signal quality is poor, why applications crash and battery life.” Although the company denied that its program recorded keystrokes, Eckhart’s video disproved it.

Online privacy has always been a huge issue. One reason why many feel like they can get away with it is because they aren’t coming face to face with people they’re tracking or doing any physical spying whatsoever. Everything is now done via computer codes, secretly-installed apps, or programs on the users’ device. Despite that, encroaching upon someone’s privacy, virtual or not, is still a huge no-no.

The issue of Carrier IQ has since spread from the US, to Europe, and to the UK. However, UK mobile networks have said that they do not use and did not install Carrier IQ’s smartphone diagnostics software. Vodafone, Orange, and O2 came forward last Thursday and said that they did not ship out their mobile phone units with the app installed, “to the best of their knowledge.”

Google has also indicated that Carrier IQ was not included in any of the smartphones in their lineup, including the Nexus One, Nexus S, and Galaxy Nexus handsets.

Nokia has since issued a statement saying that the software was not installed in its devices: “Nokia is aware of inaccurate reports which state that software from Carrier IQ has been found on Nokia devices. Carrier IQ does not ship products for any Nokia devices, so these reports are wrong.”

Source – The Guardian