Privacy and Carrier IQ

So we haven't seen the end of the erosion of privacy rights with the encroachment seen by Facebook. The continuance is now witnessed in the exposure of a some-what secret intelligence gathering application that Google seems to insist operates on Android phones. The application is called Carrier IQ or CIQ, sometimes referred to as IQAgent and IQRD.


With some applications the user has the option to enable or disable sharing of information. Opt-in is a fundamental element of privacy rights. If you are agreeable with sharing your behaviors and communication problems in the interests of a carriers quality improvement program you should be allowed to enable the application. But if you are not interested in sharing your information, I think the logical point we should arrive at is that disabling an application is your right.

Supposedly, Google claims that the software doesn't log button presses or keystrokes. They have also claimed that they are not tracking behavior. The software is only in use to track problems in call quality or to monitor crashes.

Upon analysis, some of these claims seem to agree with the software as seen by the app's discovery of dropped calls and poor signal quality. But as the analysis continues almost every single button press is logged. So why is this required if the software is only interested in discovering issues that lead to a poor user experience?

Watching the video below will give you an idea at how much data is being harvested without your consent.

The analyst who discovered the software known as Trevor Eckhart or TrevE called the software a "Rootkit". When I first saw this demonstration I thought, WOW, conspiracy theorist warning, is Homeland Security in this data collection loop? If he can find and analyze the line by line reporting of the software I think other interested parties could easily reverse engineer and discover what the data could be used for and counter. After all it's technology and given a little time, any obstacle has a work around.

Enough of the obvious silly cloak and dagger-ness but really, a question for the folks at Google. Is CIQ strictly to enhance the users experience? Usually enormous data sets are used for some sort of decision science which ultimately leads to strategic plan adjustment and subsequently a supported action. What are they trying to figure out?

Is there a way to block or remove CIQ? As I said previously regarding problems in technology, given a little time there will be a work around. Watch the video below and you can see that the possibility exists now to circumvent the spyware.

So if you determine your phone has CIQ or in some form like IQRD you do have a way to remove or block the sharing of your information. You will have to do all the work to disable this function but it is possible. Another method is to use your money as the tool and tell Google this behavior is not aligned with your core values and ethical standards as you buy another phone that easily allows the disabling of data sharing.

Communicate with you money.

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