Comments on: Carrier IQ tracking turns into wiretapping suit against it, Samsung ,and HTC

By: Steve Meyer

Steve Meyer — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:11:00 +0000

If you understand that we’re not agreeing to being monitored and recorded, per the terms and conditions of the agreement, then you should also understand that we should not expect this to happen at all, ever. There can’t be an overriding interest that supercedes the agreement without your knowledge, because there is an agreement, with explicit terms and conditions, that is the basis for the business relationship you’ve formed with the carrier. I am held to those terms and the carrier is held to the terms, period, end of story. If I violate the terms, I break the agreement, and the same holds for the carrier. I don’t have an agreement with Carrier IQ, and so I have no relationship with them, and they are entitled to nothing from me. If they take something from me without my permission, they are guilty of stealing, and if they have been given access by the carrier, then we have a conspiracy by two entities, one of whom I have a business relationship with, to steal from me that which they are not entitled to, per the agreement. It doesn’t get any more nefarious than that. It’s pretty amazing, to me, how eager the law enforcement and corporate communities are to use technology to circumvent the law, the whole time they’re busy telling me that I can’t burn a copy of movie for a friend, or jailbreak my phone to get rid of “free” games and apps that are spyware. If these guys want to act in an enforcement role, making sure we are all playing by the rules, they need to begin with a good look at their own behavior, otherwise they should expect that if they can cheat, then we all can cheat. Nothing places them outside the set of rules, and the same goes for you and me. If we gotta toe the line, they gotta toe the line. Hope that helps to clear your confusion.

By: blue5ft3

blue5ft3 — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:22:00 +0000

recording strokes = keylogger

By: RandomGuy

RandomGuy — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:25:00 +0000

Its like saying we should sue all the internet providers because people download illegal music ?

By: Dustin Stephens

Dustin Stephens — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:13:00 +0000

I wouldnt be surprised if carrier IQ was put together by the NSA. That is what they do for a living. I dunno if it would even freak me out. The NSA has been tracking every little thing we do over wires for a long time and if they were gonna come get me for sending sexy texts to my gf they would have a long time ago.

By: Guest

Guest — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:32:00 +0000

Even if that is true, the carriers should still be part of the lawsuit. They had knowledge of it, approved it, and installed it. For them to not be included in the lawsuit is a joke.

By: RandomGuy

RandomGuy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:10:00 +0000

Did u even watch the video ? He has brand new unlocked HTC and it still had that loaded in the phone who do u think loaded that ?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:10:00 +0000

Dislike, stop being so sue happy America.

By: Burger

Burger — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Who’s the idiot bringing this lawsuit?

Why aren’t the carriers like AT&T and Sprint being sued? They are most likely the ones who mandated Carrier IQ be installed on the phones, not the manufacturer of the phones.

Carriers and Carrier IQ are the most responsible for this, not manufacturers.

By: Fill F. Fill

Fill F. Fill — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:30:00 +0000

What’s particularly damning, though, is that the software continues to run and report to the mothership via WiFi even when the phone has no valid cell service/contract! There’s absolutely no reason why a device should be logging and reporting to a carrier you don’t even have a contract with.

By: bssssssss

bssssssss — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:07:00 +0000

“thegrandvizierMost people do not know that the National Security Agency, with the aid of AT&T and others, is able to mine data on nearly every type of transmission made, including wireless telephones.”

So if this is the case, my data is/has already being/been mined. The NSA, the government, AT&T, Carrer IQ, ”they” already have my information. It isn’t the cell phone I should be worried about though, I should cancel my service and take my nose out of the whole thing to avoid further being mined and monitored. Or does it even matter? What are “they” doing with this information, anyway? What am I doing that is important enough to be mined, monitored?

By: bssss

bssss — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:03:00 +0000

I don’t really understand what the big deal is. The company is mining data and recording keystrokes. It’s not the most comfortable idea and of course I understand how important personal privacy is for everyone, but when you purchase a mobile device the provider automatically stores the data. I’m thinking like court cases where cell phone records (text messages, incoming and outgoing calls, voicemails, etc.) are subpoenaed. Granted, the provider must provide the information by law but we are and have been aware that the information is kept somewhere. When you initiate a contract with a cell phone provider, there is a list of terms and conditions you sign and agree to. I understand in the terms and conditions we’re not agreeing to have our data monitored, our keystrokes kept, but most people wouldn’t know the difference without these articles. I don’t like the idea of any company (or individual) recording my keystrokes or my exact location at all times but I don’t understand how a company would be using the information nefariously unless the government tried to execute population control with extreme rules governing the social lives of the general population.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Shane,why did you only include Samsung and HTC? This article misleading.
people reading it think it,s only Samsung and HTC! LAME A** !

By: Fill F. Fill

Fill F. Fill — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:43:00 +0000

It will be an interesting shell game. I mean I can see them arguing that it’s not illegal to write software, and it’s not illegal for hardware makers to install it and its not illegal for carriers to provide service to products made by the hardware makers.

By: Michaelrobertson007

Michaelrobertson007 — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:32:00 +0000

hi i have a htc evo 3 d if there is a lawsuit i want in this is sick that these companies would be spying on us what happened to privacy rights,somebody let me know i want to sue if this is true..

By: Required my ass

Required my ass — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:32:00 +0000

How is the title misleading? AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Apple aren’t parties to the lawsuit that has been filed. The only companies being sued so far are CarrierIQ, HTC, and Samsung, which makes the title pretty accurate, in my opinion.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:31:00 +0000

Carrier IQ and all carriers using this “malware/spyware” should be face huge class action lawsuits.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:25:00 +0000

They know everything I do?

Well, this is awkward….

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:23:00 +0000

What does paranoia have to do with it?

We have all been reading the reports of what those “terrible police states” in Africa, the Middle East, and other areas of the planet have been doing for a year or more.

It is common sense and logical to think and believe that the American companies manufacturing the software would sell it to the US government to use on it’s citizens. Heck. The US government probably paid the R&D costs on the software.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:22:00 +0000

I would imagine Carrier IQ is not long of this earth. I’m pretty certain they are about to be hit by lawsuits from both users AND investors.

By: AaronD12

AaronD12 — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Although Apple has the software on their phones, you can clearly see the data sent and turn it off. With Android phones, there’s no easy way to turn it off nor any way to see what data’s being sent. (Watch the videos in the article.)

By: AaronD12

AaronD12 — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:17:00 +0000

CarrierIQ is not easily detectible. On Android phones, it’s almost like a “rootkit” (like Windows) where you would have to look at the kernel files itself to tell. There is no easy way you know if your phone has CarrierIQ on it or not.

By: Kevsco77

Kevsco77 — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:13:00 +0000

LOL, I’m with you Wii. Someone need to be held responsible. There is no need for CarrierID to have access to everything you are doing on your phone without your consent. This is a total violation of you privacy.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:12:00 +0000

There may be even more to this. Most people do not know that the National Security Agency, with the aid of AT&T and others, is able to mine data on nearly every type of transmission made, including wireless telephones. I hope this case moves forward strongly and rapidly. We may find that this information is being passed on to the NSA by the network providers. Am I paranoid? No. But with bombshells like this Carrier IQ discovery, it’s hard not to be.

By: Signdocs4u

Signdocs4u — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:55:00 +0000

I have HTC G2 with T Mobile and I have this program called HTC Report Agent, I turn it off and it turns itself back on, I think this thing is spying on me, Yesterday I checked my friends LG and Nexus both are Android phones they do not have carrier IQ on it I think it’s more HTC phones, and maybe Samsung too. If there is a lawsuit let me know I’m In big time.

By: Dililgent Reader

Dililgent Reader — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:54:00 +0000

Title is very misleading!!! Shane McGlaun should do more research before posting. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, and even Apple has the software installed on their phones.

By: EverydayNormalGuy

EverydayNormalGuy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:48:00 +0000

I worked in Engineering at Sprint and then Ericsson which has the engineering service contract with Sprint now. I even developed an application that they used to run the network. It is complete BULL that they need this information to run the network. They have hundreds of stats to troubleshoot multifacets of the system outside of anything the phone gives them. That they would take us all for fools that would believe they need our keystrokes and passwords to troubleshoot anything…. shows how desparate they are for an explanation. I suggest everyone complains to their cell phone provider and/or congressman.

By: Wii

Wii — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:44:00 +0000

i’m suing somebody!!!

By: RandomGuy

RandomGuy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:34:00 +0000

So they know everything we put in the smart phone, all text , cc info, our password, its like hackers dream come true :o, Still have no idea how all that information helps them develop a better phone ??