Phone 'Rootkit' Maker Carrier IQ May Have Violated (Federal) Wiretap Law

[denem]

Source: Forbes

A piece of keystroke-sniffing software called Carrier IQ has been embedded so deeply in millions of Nokia, Android, and RIM devices that it’s tough to spot and nearly impossible to remove, as 25-year old Connecticut systems administrator Trevor Eckhart revealed in a video Tuesday.

That’s not just creepy, says Paul Ohm, a former Justice Department prosecutor and law professor at the University of Colorado Law School. He thinks it’s also likely grounds for a class action lawsuit based on a federal wiretapping law.

“If CarrierIQ has gotten the handset manufactures to install secret software that records keystrokes intended for text messaging and the Internet and are sending some of that information back somewhere, this is very likely a federal wiretap.” he says. “And that gives the people wiretapped the right to sue and provides for significant monetary damages.”

.... Eckhart has found the application on Samsung, HTC, Nokia and RIM devices, and Carrier IQ claims on its website that it has installed the program on more than 140 million handsets.


Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/11/30/phone-rootkit-carrier-iq-may-have-violated-wiretap-law-in-millions-of-cases/

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As I recall the Feds required specific technical modifications to Obama's Blackberry use when he became President. He also carries an iPad.

[Fool Count]

1. I already see their defense: they did it for our own good to

provide better service and enhance user experience.

[denem]

2. like the NSA enhances our Security Experience

(cough)

[DeSwiss]

8. Bingo!

Carrier IQ could not immediately be reached for comment. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/11/secret-software-logging-video/">But the company told Wired.com that its software is used for “gathering information off the handset to understand the mobile-user experience, where phone calls are dropped, where signal quality is poor, why applications crash and battery life."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/carrier-iq-trevor-eckhart_n_1120727.html">link

- It's like they don't even try to come up with half-ass excuses for breaking the law and violating our civil rights anymore......

K&R

[quakerboy]

3. That means they will

have to find a better way of hiding it. Otherwise they might get a slap on the wrist.

Or maybe it will just be allowed to sit, nothing done about it, and people will just accept it.

[onehandle]

4. Imagine if instead of Samsung, HTC, Nokia and RIM, this involved Apple.

Then we would have a scandal.

[denem]

5. Yes, because Apple is an American company.

[Angry Dragon]

6. Apple is the Satan Fruit ......... says so in the Bible

[earcandle]

7. Maybe Jobs died of guilt... He was not progressive for sure.

They are not mentioning iphones here, but that is a major
smart phone.

[denem]

9. Class action? Time to sue the Carriers & their fucking IQ

IMHO.

Discovery Motion: Data forwarded to the Federal Government.

Cf. Obama go issued with a specially modified Blackberry on assuming the Presidency.

[saras]

10. Even if you can't remove it, I bet it's not that hard to get it to send bogus data.

someone needs to write an app...

[gkhouston]

11. We have a wiretapping law? Who knew? n/t