That’s the question which puzzled Trevor Eckhart when he discovered it installed on a range of smartphones. But it’s not what it is, so much as what it does, that gave him cause for concern …
Mobile networks have rushed to distance themselves from this product, and the company itself claims that it is nothing more than a tool for improving overall network performance. It’s likely that the application isn’t using all the data it collects, but what it does appear to collect is frightening, amounting to a logging of keystrokes, including data which is considered important enough to encrypt with SSL.
Irish networks O2, Vodafone and Three have all denied using Carrier IQ in response to user queries. In the United States, the controversy has spawned a class-action lawsuit.
Hear more about this and other stories on The Technology.ie Podcast Episode 11, out tomorrow!
About the Author: Conn Ó Muíneacháin
