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Carrier IQ Logging Software Found on Many Mobile Phones
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Sure they can. They can contractually obligate the manufacturers from allowing it to happen, who would then contractually prevent it from happening with the carriers.
To say they can't prevent it is not accurate at all.
How could I provide source on something that should be a basic understanding of business?
The fact that you seem to think that the agreement between Google and HTC would be short term (less than a year)
Speaks volumes about your complete lack of understanding of the business world.
HTC could say no to the changes with agreement with Google and sit on it for years. Google would be force honor the old agreement.
Uh ? First, care to point our the Apple-haters you're talking about ? I see none in this thread.
Second, isn't the "Holy Church" reserved to the "Apple does no wrong crowd" ?
i love android is catching the blame yet ppl are purposely ignoring that this was also found in the iphone along with other phones and tablets...it was found in android b/c android is linux based and using the right commands will reveal all but it was harder with apple b/c apple is excellent at hiding things...this ciq isn't an android exclusive even you fanboys are being keylogged and tracked...
Ah, so can you explain me how you can put this on an open source operating system? Thanks
Smartphones barely existed before the App Store and more specifically the iPhone. it is silly to try and compare what were "smartphones" and "apps" before the introduction of the iPhone.
Don't all android phones have removable batteries? That was always a big knock against the iPhone early on, no replaceable/removable battery. So maybe Android users can remove their batteries before the data gets sent.
So, you are just guessing.
Here's an example of Google doing what I said they could do.
http://thegadgets.net/2011/03/31/google-vetting-android-customizations-to-reduce-fragmentation/
We've already had this conversation. The licensing restrictions can be tied to Google apps and trademarks. For example, a minimum privacy policy.
I don't think you understand the relationships and agreements google has with the OEMS.
Just because Android is open source does not mean Google does not have the means to control what these companies are doing with it.
You could not be more wrong. Google has agreements with these companies outside of the open source licenses.
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LOL.
You really do not understand the way Android and Google works as it relates to smartphones at all.
You are so caught up in the idea of "Open Source" you do not understand ANY of the other issues at work.
Look up the term educated guess. It was not a wild guess. It having a basic understanding of business so it is a very safe assumption. Assuming they could force a change quickly like you seem to think is a bad assumptions.
HTC could say no to Google and it would still take years for it to filter out.
Even in your example of link Google could not force it over night. They had to work with the manufacturers and carriers to get that agreement.
Nothing is wrong with carrierIQ software itself. The problem is how it was implemented. If it was opt in then it would be a non issue. It the fact that it is forced on people and they do not get a choice.
I don't usually resort to big letters, but it seems called for this time.
Just because something is written to a debug log...
it does NOT also mean it is being sent outside the device.
(Or even really processed.)
As any developer knows, often debug code is left in that just logs input. It's very likely that is what happened here.
It's not much different than when Apple's developers accidentally set up that location cache to last forever, instead of truncating it.
Such mistakes are what happens when developers are rushed or inexperienced, something that is far too common these days.
Just because something is written to a debug log...
it does NOT also mean it is being sent outside the device.
(Or even really processed.)
As any developer knows, often debug code is left in that just logs input. It's very likely that is what happened here.
It's not much different than when Apple's developers accidentally set up that location cache to last forever, instead of truncating it.
Such mistakes are what happens when developers are rushed or inexperienced, something that is far too common these days.
Do some of you not understand that all the big OEM's have contracts and agreements with google that go beyond the open source license? It seems many of you do not understand that. From what Baldi mentioned in terms of trademark and licensing you have support issues and all other kind of factors that go way beyond the open source license and allow google to exert control.
Sure someone can go it alone and do what they want with android open source (ala Amazon), but none of the big Android handset oems are doing that, thus Google does have a level of control in regards to their relationships with all of them.
Because you have such a knowdledge, can you enlighten us?
Or do you are only guessing and don't have any fact?
So if HTC removes all google apps and google search from Android, Google can do nothing about it?
Yes, if HTC decided not to get any support or cooperation from Google and not use any of their trademarks or any other benefits Google provides, they could... Otherwise no they can not.
Again, Google's relationship with the Android Handset OEMs is not simply the open source license for Android. It is much more involved than that.
Except that the example that I provided doesn't say that at all. It said Google decided to change its licensing terms. And then they did. No negotiation necessary.
Monitoring software that logs the content of my text messages is wrong to me, opt in or not.
Sounds like from that Carrier IQ could be poorly modified code that is logging way way to much information. May not be sending it but the logging is way to deep.
That being said I do not approve of how it is being down and the fact that it at the very least can not be turned off.
If you read the report, Google doesn't vet the customizations or have control after the release of the version.
They only prevent EARLY access to the version they're developing
And they (Manufactures and carriers) could of said no and not agreed to it. Google would be require to honor any agreement they had in place before hand.
Well, good news. Google can do that and can force changes they feel are justified.
"Google employee Dan Morrill admits that Google is "using compatibility as a club to make [phone manufacturers] do things we want."
http://www.businessinsider.com/goog...separate-issue-some-software-called-logmein-9
Actually that issue is quite similar to this one and the e-mail fits very well. (it's from the cache of emails on the Skyhook lawsuit)
Why Google didn't in this case is however the big question. I'm sure they're already talking to Carrier IQ, since they're only 3 miles away from each other. They can just Segway there.
It was an example of Google changing it's licensing terms to rebut Rodimus's claim that it would take years to change Google's licensing terms, nothing more.
Having been involved in this same sort of thing many times over the past thirty years, I am betting that right now some poor programmer at CarrierIQ is having his/her ass dragged over hot coals for leaving in debug code that is otherwise meaningless.
I suspect that no one should be worried about the innocuous information it collects, like number of texts sent, calls, if they had an error and so forth... most of which is information that the carriers have anyway... without the error reporting, that is. And that's what's critical to improve service.
Heck, Apple automatically collects our location when a call fails and sends it up to be used to check for potentially bad cell locations. It's exactly the same kind of thing.
However, I agree that it should be something that can be turned off... especially if the user is paying for the data transfer of the statistics. And that goes for Apple collecting hotspots, as well.