CarrierIQ Tries To Silence Security Researcher

phaedrus5001 sends this quote from a story at Wired: "A data-logging software company is seeking to squash an Android developer's critical research into its software that is secretly installed on millions of phones, but Trevor Eckhart is refusing to publicly apologize for his research and remove the company's training manuals from his website. Though the software is installed on millions of Android, Blackberry and Nokia phones, Carrier IQ was virtually unknown until the 25-year-old Eckhart analyzed its workings, recently revealing that the software secretly chronicles a user's phone experience, from its apps, battery life and texts. Some carriers prevent users who actually find the software from controlling what information is sent." The EFF is hosting PDFs of CarrierIQ's C&D letter, as well as their response on Eckhart's behalf.

Comments

He should remove it.

[Pastor Jake]

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This man is working to remove software which can be used to identify pedophiles, rapists, and other ungodly characters which are plaguing this nation. He should be brought to justice for undermining our government's attempt to keep our land free and Christian. I propose that we take this software a step further, and have it display a random Bible verse on bootup of the device, in order to spread Christ's message to the unsaved.

God bless,
Jake

Re:He should remove it.

[shutdown -p now]

I propose that we take this software a step further, and have it display a random Bible verse on bootup of the device

It's a wonderful idea, brother, but I would like to clarify something important first: KJV or NIV?

Re:He should remove it.

[LordLimecat]

Here thar be trolls.

Dont feed them.

Re:He should remove it.

[Anarchduke]

but its square root is

Re:He should remove it.

[jamesh]

You can't sacrifice privacy for security, it doesn't work that way.

Christianity is based on the idea that you can sacrifice one man for the salvation of all mankind, so you can see how sacrificing privacy for security might make sense to them ;)

I can never quite tell whether people sprouting religious rhetoric are serious or trolling...

Re:He should remove it.

[jamesh]

My troll-o-meter is pegging a 10, but it could be a poes law false positive.

Yeah I got that too. You can never quite tell... some people really are that crazy. I think the "display a random Bible verse on bootup of the device" is a bit of a giveaway though. A smiley face emoticon at the end of the post would have been nice.

Having an app that displays random bible excerpts each time you turn on your phone would be cool, although they'd have to be brief, eg:
"kill every woman who has slept with a man"
"save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man"
"kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women"
The more it can be taken out of context, the better!

CarierIQ Protocol?

[Guppy]

the software secretly chronicles a user's phone experience, from its apps, battery life and texts.

Let's hope someone succeeds in reverse engineering and implementing a copy of the CarrierIQ protocol, as I wish it to be known that my favorite App is the "Nude Crocheting Pocket Guide", and my current battery life is "Purple".

I will also be happy to forward my texts (which I shall not utter here) to the phone company as well, as soon as an international SMS character set for the language of Morder is approved.

Re:CarierIQ Protocol?

[LordLimecat]

Knowing the protocol isnt enough; one does not simply text into Mordor.

Re:CarierIQ Protocol?

[BenJCarter]

Three tablets for the Executive-kings under the sky,
Seven smart phones for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of silicone,
Nine voice phones for Mortal Men still doomed to work,
One App for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Servers are built.
One App to rule them all, One App to find them,
One App to phreak them all and through the internet pwn them
In the Land of Mordor where the hackers lie.

Note: it's CarrierIQ not CarrierHighIQ.

[Kaz Kylheku]

:)

Ha!

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's see them track me on my landline! They'll never know where I am!

Cease & Desist fail???

[OzPeter]

Is it me, or is the first point in the "Agreement" that CarrierIQ wants Eckhart to sign actually imply that CarrierIQ is performing the illegal copying???
 
 

I _______, agree to immediately
 
Cease and desist your unlawful copying of the Training Manuals