14 DAY TRIAL // Amidst the controversy regarding the cellphone tracking and monitoring software developed by Carrier IQ, the company came forward with an official statement that explains what exactly the application is doing and that carriers bear the responsibility of this app being loaded on their smartphones.
Given the fact that the initial controversy became a full blown scandal, many handset manufacturers and carriers have started to distance themselves from Carrier IQ and anything concerning collection of sensitive data through this application.
Rogers, Vodafone and O2 UK were among the first to deny that their operations have anything to do with Carrier IQ’s software. Nokia, Research in Motion, Google and Microsoft were soon to follow and denied any involvement.
However, Carrier IQ’s marketing VP, Andrew Coward told Register that carriers decide what type of data is collected and stored on their servers, and which data is passed through to Carrier IQ systems.
Basically, the data is collected and stored on both operators’ and Carrier IQ’s servers, but the latter does not have any control on the flow of the information that is directed to its servers.
Furthermore, Andrew Coward also stated that even though the company has the potential to see the precise sequence of key taps, as well as each message sent and the phone numbers dialed by users they are choosing not to log it.
In this regard the company claimed it brought several security consultants to check out their code and validate it.
Still, the company tried to explain the world that its software can’t collect and send sensitive data to third party servers (i.e. carriers) in a video that showed that this is in fact possible.
Andrew Coward points that “the software was never designed to gather and transmit that text. It was designed to filter all the information that comes through. We can't gather that information because the software isn't written that way. We're putting a huge filter on that to reduce what we're seeing to the essence of what's needed by our customers to solve the problems they have.”