"Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every move"

[SoulWeaponry]

I'm not too worried about my privacy seeing as how i don't do anything questionable on my phone, but i think people do have a right to be upset about this considering nobody was ever told this was even going on in the first place. What do you HTC-ers think?

"A security researcher has posted a video detailing hidden software installed on smart phones that logs numerous details about users' activities.

In a 17-minute video posted Monday on YouTube, Trevor Eckhart shows how the software ? known as Carrier IQ ? logs every text message, Google search and phone number typed on a wide variety of smart phones - including HTC, Blackberry, Nokia and others - and reports them to the mobile phone carrier.

The application, which is labeled on Eckhart?s HTC smartphone as "HTC IQ Agent," also logs the URL of websites searched on the phone, even if the user intends to encrypt that data using a URL that begins with "HTTPS," Eckhart said.

The software always runs when Android operating system is running and users are unable to stop it, Eckhart said in the video."

Source link for more info

 

[KillerQ]

This spot reserved to say "Oh Boy, the floodgates have opened...."

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk

 

[Dovahkiin]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...ut-carrier-iq-their-version-galaxy-nexus.html

Nexus forum is covering this pretty well.
It's a pretty new story, and it's spreading over to other news outlets. Apparently, when carriers were asked about this, none of them responded except Verizon, who stated that they Did NOT use Carrier IQ.
If this is true, I'm happily surprised that Verizon, of all carriers, isn't using this crap.
These are serious privacy issues, and I'm predicting that Sprint (who is known to use CIQ), and other carriers will have their asses land on the federal government's hotplate.

 

[SoulWeaponry]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

Like dovahkiin said, we're now hearing reports from verizon that they don't use carrier iq on ANY of their phones. I'm still on the fence about the level at which i should give a damn. I remember awhile back when people were freaking out because htc's stock browser takes screenshots to use for the thumbnails in the browser. THAT was overblown paranoia. But logging every single keystroke we all make under the guise of monitoring our usage so they can field questions for customer service better? I don't buy it. It just doesn't make sense that they'd need THAT much information.

Unless they lept without thinking and genuinely didn't realize this would be a privacy concern, i'm leaning towards this being a real invasion of privacy.

Verizon denies Carrier IQ is on any of its phones

 

[MrSmith317]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

This is actually a pretty old piece of news but Carrier IQ isn't a fly-by-night company. They've supposedly been dropping this crap on Blackberries and feature phones for a while now. It's only getting major press because TrevE exposed it to a global forum. Hell I didn't know about it until 2 months ago when Ars ran a piece on it because of TrevE's findings.

 

[rootbrain]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

Well, whew! I've been on Verizon for a decade with dumb and smartphones so guess I don't have to worry.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

This is actually a pretty old piece of news but Carrier IQ isn't a fly-by-night company. They've supposedly been dropping this crap on Blackberries and feature phones for a while now. It's only getting major press because TrevE exposed it to a global forum. Hell I didn't know about it until 2 months ago when Ars ran a piece on it because of TrevE's findings.

I didn't know TrevE was the one who exposed it. He also found that flaw in HTC phones where app creators could get your basic info, correct? He's on point when it comes to exposing privacy issues.

 

[Z Fury]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

Well, whew! I've been on Verizon for a decade with dumb and smartphones so guess I don't have to worry.

Yes, you do.

 

[MrSmith317]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

Yes, you do.

Call me crazy, but I feel that Verizon doesn't want anyone other than them snooping your data. If there's money to be made off of it, they want an exclusive lock on it. Although a home-grown snooping agent certainly would explain why updates take so long on Verizon.

/conspiracy theory

 

[Dovahkiin]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

Call me crazy, but I feel that Verizon doesn't want anyone other than them snooping your data. If there's money to be made off of it, they want an exclusive lock on it. Although a home-grown snooping agent certainly would explain why updates take so long on Verizon.

/conspiracy theory

I'm unsure about other carriers, but I've only heard of Verizon openly letting us know that they farm and sell our data, which explained those opt-out articles that popped up on Engadget and Droid-Life about a month ago. So I think you're on the money with this one.
The question is, what process is it that Verizon uses to farm that data? TrevE should find that one out for us. I suspect it's the "My Verizon" app, but who knows.

 

[Z Fury]

Re: "Keystroke logger found in...HTC phones tracking your every m

Call me crazy, but I feel that Verizon doesn't want anyone other than them snooping your data. If there's money to be made off of it, they want an exclusive lock on it. Although a home-grown snooping agent certainly would explain why updates take so long on Verizon.

/conspiracy theory

I'm unsure about other carriers, but I've only heard of Verizon openly letting us know that they farm and sell our data, which explained those opt-out articles that popped up on Engadget and Droid-Life about a month ago. So I think you're on the money with this one.
The question is, what process is it that Verizon uses to farm that data? TrevE should find that one out for us. I suspect it's the "My Verizon" app, but who knows.

I'm in agreement with you two on this. Still odd that they claim to have nothing to do with Carrier IQ, but there it is!