A mobile phone analytics tool has been accused of snooping on millions of consumers, despite the manufacturer denying it logged user actions.
Android app developer Trevor Eckhart has posted a video in which he claims to prove millions of smartphones are monitoring the location, key presses and messages of users via the Carrier IQ software.
Carrier IQ, which says it provides tools for carriers to better understand subscribers, had insisted after earlier accusations from Eckhart that it didn’t log keystrokes during its information gathering. However, in a video posted on YouTube the developer showed how the software collected this data.
Using packet sniffing software, Eckhart showed how data was logged both when connected to a wireless network and when in “airplane mode”.
The permissions list is pretty extensive, everything from calling numbers and stuff that costs money to reading messages, location and recording audio
“The permissions list is pretty extensive, everything from calling numbers and stuff that costs money to reading messages, location and recording audio,” he said in the video.
According to the researcher, the HTC device used for the demonstration was not rooted and had been factory reset, but he stressed the software ran on Nokia and Blackberry handsets too.
Carrier IQ itself claims to be installed on more than 140 miilion handsets after being embedded by device manufacturers.
We are waiting to hear back from Carrier IQ for its comments on the claims.
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