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[Carrier IQ] Android tracking your EVERY move

garybUK

garybUK

Guest
Original poster
Jun 3, 2002
1,466
3
Well, not just Android, but this company called CarrierIQ is logging their every movies, it's invisibly installed on most Android, Blackberry and Nokia devices... let's hope it's not installed on our iPhones!

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/11/secret-software-logging-video/

The video is a little painful but it's very worrying! Do no evil, eh? Google.

Edit:

Seems to be mostly CDMA carriers in the US at the monment (Verizon, Sprint) from the initial looks of things.
 
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.1; en-gb; Galaxy Nexus Build/ITL41D) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30)

garybUK said:
Well, not just Android, but this company called CarrierIQ is logging their every movies, it's invisibly installed on most Android, Blackberry and Nokia devices... let's hope it's not installed on our iPhones!

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/11/secret-software-logging-video/

The video is a little painful but it's very worrying! Do no evil, eh? Google.

Edit:

Seems to be mostly CDMA carriers in the US at the monment (Verizon, Sprint) from the initial looks of things.
Click to expand...

Why the "do no evil" snipe at Google? You do realise that CIQ is preinstalled by Samsung/HTC/Sprint don't you?

One of the only ways to get rid of this intrusive POS software is to use an AOSP ROM compiled from the Android source code (projects like Cyanogenmod).

CIQ is not a part of the AOSP and nothing to do with Google so in that respect, they are doing no evil in this situation.
 
ChazUK said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.1; en-gb; Galaxy Nexus Build/ITL41D) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30)



Why the "do no evil" snipe at Google? You do realise that CIQ is preinstalled by Samsung/HTC/Sprint don't you?

One of the only ways to get rid of this intrusive POS software is to use an AOSP ROM compiled from the Android source code (projects like Cyanogenmod).

CIQ is not a part of the AOSP and nothing to do with Google so in that respect, they are doing no evil in this situation.
Click to expand...

Google, RIM, Nokia etc allowing them to install the kernel level software as part of the Android mods IS evil, so is google's flouting of personal information which really ensure I never use their services such as GoogleMail etc. Just look at the spout of Voicemails as MP3's that were exposed on their Search Engine a year or so ago.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.1; en-gb; Galaxy Nexus Build/ITL41D) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30)

garybUK said:
ChazUK said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.1; en-gb; Galaxy Nexus Build/ITL41D) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30)



Why the "do no evil" snipe at Google? You do realise that CIQ is preinstalled by Samsung/HTC/Sprint don't you?

One of the only ways to get rid of this intrusive POS software is to use an AOSP ROM compiled from the Android source code (projects like Cyanogenmod).

CIQ is not a part of the AOSP and nothing to do with Google so in that respect, they are doing no evil in this situation.
Click to expand...

Google, RIM, Nokia etc allowing them to install the kernel level software as part of the Android mods IS evil, so is google's flouting of personal information which really ensure I never use their services such as GoogleMail etc. Just look at the spout of Voicemails as MP3's that were exposed on their Search Engine a year or so ago.
Click to expand...

How do you work that out?

What can Google do to prevent this on an open source project like Android? As far as I am aware, any AOSP build will be exempt of this crap (including Google's Nexus line of phones).
Remember that Sony fiasco that installed a rootkit on people's Windows PC's without a users permission on certain CD's distributed by Sony Music?
Was that Sony's fault or Microsoft's? That was all Sony's evil doing in my eyes.
 
Android isn't fully open source, there are many part of it that are closed, e.g. Market Place... why, if it's opensource can't you view the source code of Market Place etc? And why was Honeycomb source not available? Not very Open Source now....

Google require handset manufacturers to comply with their CDD .. Compatibility Device Definition, surely this type of Kernel Level intrusion should be in breach of that? why would they allow it, if it's this then why not a Virus or Trojan etc.
 
garybUK said:
Android isn't fully open source, there are many part of it that are closed, e.g. Market Place... why, if it's opensource can't you view the source code of Market Place etc? And why was Honeycomb source not available? Not very Open Source now....

Google require handset manufacturers to comply with their CDD .. Compatibility Device Definition, surely this type of Kernel Level intrusion should be in breach of that? why would they allow it, if it's this then why not a Virus or Trojan etc.
Click to expand...
First of all, the Google Apps (Market, Maps, GMail e.t.c) are closed sourse applications which are licenced seperately so that Google can benefit from the platform. Thise apps are not a part of the AOSP and are licenced seperately.

Are any of these devices running Honeycomb? No. Either way, all of the Honeycomb modifications are now avaiable in the ICS source tree.
http://m.pocketnow.com/android/google-releases-ice-cream-sandwich-honeycomb-source-to-aosp

The inclusion of this software preinstalled on any device is at fault of the manufacturers and the carriers. I dont know the terms of the CDD so I can't comment but, Google are already in the crap over their interferance with Skyhook being used on Motorola's habnsets. I doubt that Google would get away with imposing too many restrictions.
 
I hate Google, I hate their datamining and their business tactics that they seem to always get away with - but a handset manufacturer installing stuff isn't their fault.

You can't blame El Goog for what happens to a device when they only makes the OS that runs on it. What gets installed isn't Google's business. If it was happening on factory unlocked Google/Moto-made phones, then yeah but otherwise no.
 
Melrose said:
I hate Google, I hate their datamining and their business tactics that they seem to always get away with - but a handset manufacturer installing stuff isn't their fault.

You can't blame El Goog for what happens to a device when they only makes the OS that runs on it. What gets installed isn't Google's business. If it was happening on factory unlocked Google/Moto-made phones, then yeah but otherwise no.
Click to expand...

See, beside the fact that Google's business is selling ads, meaning they definitely take some liberties about users privacy, what you're describing here is a company that doesn't take ownership of what's happening on its platform. Sounds a bit irresponsible, if you ask me.
Without being overly paranoid, I just can't put my trust in a firm whose then CEO, now chairman said:

Google policy is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it.
Click to expand...
 
Melrose said:
You can't blame El Goog for what happens to a device when they only makes the OS that runs on it. What gets installed isn't Google's business.
Click to expand...

I think this is a great moment to stop and be thankful that someone like Apple is in the business of giving a crap about its software and hardware.
 
IQ Carrier has just posted a notice on their website, saying in part:

"While we look at many aspects of a device’s performance, we are counting and summarizing performance, not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools."

--

Hint:

As any real developer can tell you, just because an app is logging debug info, that does NOT mean the info being sent off somewhere.

Reminds me of all the tin-foil hat wearers who were convinced that Apple was recording all their movements with that location cache file that grew forever due to a bug.

Drunken Master said:
I think this is a great moment to stop and be thankful that someone like Apple is in the business of giving a crap about its software and hardware.
Click to expand...

Apple collects performance information, for the same reasons. Any company that cares about its products does.

Apple also collects plenty of information, both personal and anonymous, using iTunes, iOS devices and services like MobileMe. They use the info both to improve services and as a valuable commodity to sell anonymous ads.
 
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Android's -Gate

This links to a Gizmodo article about a security flaw present in Symbian, RIM, and Android handsets.

If you don't want to read the article, just watch the video starting from 8:45.

EVERYTHING is being recorded and sent. Everything.
 
Did you know that iOS has CarrierIQ in it as well? Been there since iOS 1.0. But I haven't found it in iOS 5 though.
 
Don't blame Android, Symbian, or RIM, blame the Carriers.

If Apple allowed carriers to install software on iPhones, then I'm pretty sure it would have the same thing. But, they don't in the agreements.
 
w00t951 said:
Where's your source? I've never heard that before.
Click to expand...

On iOS 4 or greater open the /usr/bin/awd_ice2 or awd_ice3 file in TextEdit and search for the following phrase "carrieriq.com" You'll come across many references to "http://collector.sky.carrieriq.com:7001/collector" and other CarrierIQ sites. On iOS versions older then iOS 4, the binary file to search is IQAgent. To disable this on iOS, remove the following LaunchDaemons from /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ if you have them: com.apple.iqagent.plist, com.apple.awd_ice2.plist, and com.apple.awd_ice3.plist. This applies to the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
 
I am all about reading.. I hate watching videos to learn something that could be summed up in a few words and I could digest in 30 seconds instead of 8 minutes...
 
CarrierIQ is installed on iOS. Has since been iOS 1.0, but its seems to be missing or disabled in iOS 5.
 
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Bernard SG said:
See, beside the fact that Google's business is selling ads, meaning they definitely take some liberties about users privacy, what you're describing here is a company that doesn't take ownership of what's happening on its platform. Sounds a bit irresponsible, if you ask me.
Click to expand...

Irresponsible, yes; I agree. But Google still cannot be directly blamed for someone installing secondary software. Can Google do something to prevent it? Yes. Can they be blamed for doing it? No.

Drunken Master said:
I think this is a great moment to stop and be thankful that someone like Apple is in the business of giving a crap about its software and hardware.
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I prefer closed systems like Apple's. :)
 
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This, like the news months ago about Apple's iPhone tracking users is but a by-product of the times.

The high stakes game of data mining is not exclusive to any company or OS.

It's something that is "hidden" and only when revealed from time to time when we get a small glimpse of the underworld within.

Not even Apple is "holier than thou". For all we know they simply gave lip service and are still tracking users.

It's very early in the stages of this particular situation, we've not heard the last of this yet. Forbes says it is an illegal federal wiretapping offense.

Who knows where this will go, but I for one am not going to overreacct or get all hyped up with so little solid info.

The most useful aspect of this news is to give Android haters just one more reason to talk up their "Perfect iPhones".

I have nothing to hide, I don't use Facebook or Twitter (never have), and I take all precautions currently available.

That's good enough for me at this juncture.

I'm taking a wait and see approach.
 
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