Technology

Carrier IQ Speaks Out on Logging Phone Data — Keystrokes Not Included

After the pandemonium in the last couple weeks over a program secretly installed on smartphones that logs data such as dropped calls and battery life, the company — Carrier IQ — has now provided more detail into what exactly its program tracks for service providers.

Wired was invited last week to Carrier IQ’s Mountain View, Calif., office to set the record straight about the claim that the software logs keystrokes and clarify what is actually collected and how. Wired reports that Carrier IQ held to the claim it has maintained all along that the software does not log keystrokes, such as numbers dialed and text messages, but did acknowledge that they collect a wide range of information:

“We do recognize the power and value of this data,” Andrew Coward, the chief marketing officer, said. “We’re very aware that this information is sensitive. It’s a treasure trove.”

[...]

“We’re seeing URLS and we can capture that information,” Coward said during the two-hour interview.

He said that the information is useful for users who call the phone company complaining, for example, that Facebook won’t load.The carrier’s operator, he said, might tell the complaining customer that the reason it won’t load is because the customer is misspelling “Facebook.”

“They could say, ‘Facebook is spelled F-A-C-E-B-O-O-K,’” he said. “We certainly recognize that as a future thing for advertising, clearly having that information from a marketing perspective is very interesting.”

Since the company is getting the URLs from the phone, they are able to record encrypted search terms such as https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=ppwe&cp=3&gs_id=p&xhr=t&q=abortion+clinics. By contrast, your carrier, which sits between you and the Internet, would normally only see https://www.google.com/ — for encrypted searches.

Carrier IQ Comes Out About What Information It Does and Does Not Log on Smartphones

Carrier IQ data. (Image: Carrier IQ via Wired)

Wired notes that not all smartphone service providers elect to record URLs, and the extent of data given to the provider depends the customer package. How often is information being downloaded from your phone, which includes service providers such as AT&T, Sprint, HTC and others? Wired reports Carrier IQ said data gets downloaded about once a day, is encrypted during transmission for protection, and is held for about a month.

Carrier IQ has confirmed that it collects more general information such as locations to show where calls are being dropped or where call traffic could merit an extra cell tower. It also collects more specific information on individual phones, such as when a battery is changed or when an app is using too much electricity. The company says the level data varies from provider to provider but that Carrier IQ itself doesn’t have access to the names associated with the phone owners.

Details about Carrier IQ emerged last month when developer Trevor Eckhart posted two YouTube videos detailing his findings about the program and its supposed keystroke logging capabilities, which the company denied multiple times.

Comments (23)

  • christianUSA
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 4:23pm

    Opinion: checked even some nonsmart cell by Verizon has keylogger on them; oh sure baloney the phone companies therefore govnm can see/get everything you type into the cellphone?! How or why should anyone trust them who for years secretly keylogged/spied on you, US all and only when caught cold partially admit to doing it!? How is different from a phone tap or spying? Wakeup face reality this was illegal they should be sued, jailed; if the only penalty for getting caught is stopping theft or spying then there zero incentive for bad immoral people to stop!

    Report Post »  
  • alina.bolero
    Posted on December 6, 2011 at 6:33am

    Oh … wonderful. Perhaps they can correct me if I accidentally misspell P-R-I-V-A-C-Y

    Report Post » alina.bolero  
  • BaltimoreJoe
    Posted on December 6, 2011 at 6:09am

    Of course our secret elementary school toilet cam is graphic…but we don’t actually look at the video, that would be sick.

    And for those rooting your phone with ROMs downloaded from the Internet….why would you think there isn’t similar s/w embeded and where might that info be going…

    Report Post »  
    • FoundingFather
      Posted on December 6, 2011 at 7:05am

      The danger exists for ROMs to have other nasty stuff embedded. This was my first time doing this because I had the same fears, but the ROM’s i am using came recommended by a colleague who I do trust, and he pointed out, much as this CarrierIQ debacle proves, you never know what is in the carrier’s OTA updates, and the carrier’s ROM images are usually worse for malware infection and bloat than any others.

      In my case, I am picking mine up only from vetted sources and developer communities that dont tolerate that sort of thing. In this case, the developers list whats included in ROM

      Even so, if thats a concern, it’s possible to develop your own ROM if you cant trust anyone. Its just significantly more complicated and time consuming.

      Basically, you need to obtain root access to your phone. For most HTC phones you can accomplish this via a program called Unrevoked (http://www.unrevoked.com), which can keep your existing os ROM but give you root access and also install a new “recovery” image that permits you to perform backend operations like backup your existing OS ROM and install new ones. Root access can also make it possible for you to forcibly remove most of the garbage that Sprint pre-loads. CarrierIQ is a litle tougher to remove though, because it integrates with a lot of stuff on there.

      I got my new ROM from http://forum.xda-developers.com/. Thats where folks as frustrated as us work to develop better, cleaner ROM images that are faster, more efficient, &

      Report Post »  
    • FoundingFather
      Posted on December 6, 2011 at 7:22am

      IMPORTANT NOTE: Root/Reflash does void your warranty. Just like any other Freedom, it comes at a price.

      Report Post »  
  • independentvoteril
    Posted on December 6, 2011 at 12:49am

    My phone carrier must be disappointed .. I seldom use it for phone calls only text 2 or 3 people and one is my husband to tell him what I need from the store.. mostly I use it to play scrabble with my 2 cousins, daughter, step daughter and husband.. all but my husband live over 30 miles away.. hubby lives at home but plays at lunch..LOL..

    Report Post » independentvoteril  
  • garbagecanlogic
    Posted on December 6, 2011 at 12:23am

    Just like Facebook, I opted not to be “cool” and get a smartphone. So nah nee nah you fools. They ain’t reaching out and touching me!

    The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
    The U.N. Out Of The U.S.

    Report Post »  
    • RossPoldark
      Posted on December 6, 2011 at 12:29am

      it amazes me what info people give on their FB profile. Some people tell their whole life story.

      Report Post »  
    • independentvoteril
      Posted on December 6, 2011 at 12:45am

      I am also shocked at how much information people give on FB and how so many allow FRIENDS of FRIENDS to view their information..my family and I set ours up so we could keep in touch with each other ..(cousins mostly).. I keep getting MAD at FB updates that allow information for even a short time to be exposed.. and I have ONLY the information that I had to give to set up the account no more.. actually I do that on all my accounts.. wonder why people feel it necessary to SHARE their private information with the world..

      Report Post » independentvoteril  
  • TimeForReason
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:51pm

    Can you spell L-I-A-R?

    Report Post »  
  • FoundingFather
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:24pm

    I had CarrierIQ on my Sprint phone last week. Simple root and reimage with a scrubbed os ROM solved that issue. No more tracking other than what they pull from the network traffic.

    Report Post »  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:18pm

    We don’t track your key strokes…….Newbie26543, stop pushing backspace shift, you need to look at the users manual for quick key select, and stop going to those websites, you’ll go blind……..now, back to denying we are watching you people. Stop being paranoid, by the way GatorFan3656, you left your glasses on the dining room table, under the sports illustrated magazine.

    People, we are just trying to help you. IQ out.

    TerryPal398, please go back and flush the toilet and wash your hands, yuck.

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
  • johnokee1
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:14pm

    I am praying for another Carrington Event (Class X Solar Flare) . All of this interconnectedness wasn‘t needed in the 50’s, 60‘s and 70’s. Neither was political correctness, nazi feminism, anti semitism, throwing God out of the schools, this fear of prayers in school,work place, graduations, has delivered us over to debased thinking.

    Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country

    Report Post » johnokee1  
    • ChevalierdeJohnstone
      Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:44pm

      Problem is the federal government has not spent the relatively small amount of money necessary to harden electrical transformers against solar radiation spikes. A sizeable solar flare or other EMP would knock out the entire U.S. electrical grid; the main transformers are the size of a house and take months to rebuild. Meanwhile something upwards of 50% of the population is expected to die. There’s a Congressional report on the danger which was filed just prior to 9/11/01. So – please stop PRAYING for catastrophe you stupid freaking moron.

      Report Post »  
    • oldschoolgreen
      Posted on December 5, 2011 at 11:46pm

      You can never go home again. The past is the past. Adam and Eve is an analogy for simpler times. We are doomed for all time and have been banished from that blissful ignorance. Just wait till you can plug your grey matter directly into the www. Now that will be interesting.

      Report Post »  
  • MajorAmby
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:13pm

    To Carrier IQ:
    Yeah……… right……..

    Report Post »  
  • ConservativeCharlie
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:10pm

    We keep electing these Rhinos, this stuff will never change. Obama is getting us there faster, but if we send a Rino to the white house its going to be the same old thing, just a bit slower. I sure hope Iowa gets it right, Newt is a Massive Rino this song says it all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMmGSL4NIFs

    Report Post »  
  • mcFirst
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:09pm

    Carrrier IQ,

    Can I track all your company internall emails. Then you can call me I can tell you your entering .comm., I would be providing a great service to you.

    Folks this bs.

    Report Post » mcFirst  
  • THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE
    Posted on December 5, 2011 at 10:07pm

    Big sis is somehow in this, dig in tge toilet a little more…

    Report Post » THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE  
    • jaylew
      Posted on December 6, 2011 at 1:52am

      I find that name for her hilarious. I think it’s her haircut…..and of course the fact that something tells me she was the catcher on the girls softball team. That was way before there were aluminum bats.

      Report Post » jaylew  

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