6 ms·

Google Nexus Android phones do not include Carrier IQ tracking software

109 points by glymor 15y ago

fpgeek 15y ago
Given all the recent news, I guess this article needs to updated, eh? http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/107337-carrier-iq-is-the-best-reason-yet-to-switch-to-iphone http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/107337-carrier-iq-is-the-b...
Synaesthesia 15y ago
The big news is that the carriers forced it onto almost all smartphones (Android, Blackberry, iPhone). The blame needs to be pinned on them.
- fpgeek 15y ago
  I'm curious about which carriers. Are we just talking about US carriers or carriers worldwide? I'd think "Carrier IQ" wouldn't fly under stricter European privacy laws (even if it is OK in the US, which some people say is an open question). Is that right?
  - quanticle 15y ago
    Well, I don't know which carriers have installed CarrierIQ on their phones, but according to this: http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/1/2602532/verizon-carrier-iq-denial http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/1/2602532/verizon-carrier-iq... Verizon denies using or ever having used CarrierIQ.
  - Synaesthesia 15y ago
    Absolutely. That was the very question I thought of as I posted that. I have a suspicion it's US carriers.
    - shareme 15y ago
      in fact its probably the same exact carrier whose parent was given the right to spy on amercians for the us government after laws were broken..
    - Achshar 15y ago
      Well I live in India and i will look for CareerIQ in my bro's galaxy. The handsets here are contract free and GSM.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - untog 15y ago
    How does that work with the iPhone, I wonder? Android phones have custom firmwares for each carrier, but I thought that everyone downloaded the same update package in iTunes. Am I wrong?
- nutjob123 15y ago
  We need to specify WHICH carriers forced it onto smartphones. Verizon is the biggest carrier in the US and they don't use carrier iq. (although they do put a ton of crap on phones) http://gigaom.com/2011/12/01/verizon-no-carrieriq-no-way/ http://gigaom.com/2011/12/01/verizon-no-carrieriq-no-way/
- WestCoastJustin 15y ago
  I have a Samsung GalaxyS running Android on Rogers (rogers.com) up in Canada and there is no CarrierIQ installed. Maybe we need to create a spreadsheet so we can track which phones / providers have this installed.
nodata 15y ago
CarrierIQ - does this mean that contract-free phones don't have it installed?
- w1ntermute 15y ago
  Of course not. If you bought the phone through a carrier that has CarrierIQ normally installed, then why would they make an exception for the 0.1% of customers who bought a smartphone off-contract? So no, the name has nothing to do with it.
  - nodata 15y ago
    Who said anything about buying through a carrier?
    - cbs 15y ago
      You kind of implied it when you said contract-free instead of not from a carrier. At least here in the States, the majority of contract free and prepaid phones for sale are associated with a particular carrier.
      - nodata 15y ago
        I avoided saying "unlocked" because it would imply it was locked at some point. What should I call them?
        bobbles 15y ago
        In Australia the retailers generally call it a 'handset only' purchase
        AkThhhpppt 15y ago
        The convention I've seen is "SIM-free."
moomin 15y ago
I'd hope Google knew how to track users efficiently without third-party help.
mstepniowski 15y ago
"We're still wondering why Google would reject Carrier IQ from its flagship devices but allow phones with the software to pass the various Android compatibility tests required to license its apps like Gmail, Google Maps, and Android Market."
- drcube 15y ago
  Google doesn't include Bing in its flagship devices. That doesn't mean somebody can't install it later if they want to.
  - nobody314159265 15y ago
    That's not the point - the point is that apps on Android are sandboxed so that Angry Birds can't read call premium phone lines or extract your calling history. Google approved builds which included a rootkit that could do all these things
rbanffy 15y ago
I think Cyanogenmod builds also are CarrierIQ free. http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices
- ktsmith 15y ago
  As are MIUI builds which are based on Cyanogenmod.
hamoid 15y ago
Looking at the latest Wikileaks release (http://wikileaks.org/the-spyfiles.html http://wikileaks.org/the-spyfiles.html) it makes me think that this Carrier IQ thing, if it is used for getting to our personal data, is just a pixel in the complete picture.

109 points by glymor 15y ago

Given all the recent news, I guess this article needs to updated, eh? http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/107337-carrier-iq-is-the-best-reason-yet-to-switch-to-iphone http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/107337-carrier-iq-is-the-b...

Synaesthesia 15y ago

The big news is that the carriers forced it onto almost all smartphones (Android, Blackberry, iPhone). The blame needs to be pinned on them.

fpgeek 15y ago
I'm curious about which carriers. Are we just talking about US carriers or carriers worldwide? I'd think "Carrier IQ" wouldn't fly under stricter European privacy laws (even if it is OK in the US, which some people say is an open question). Is that right?
- quanticle 15y ago
  Well, I don't know which carriers have installed CarrierIQ on their phones, but according to this: http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/1/2602532/verizon-carrier-iq-denial http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/1/2602532/verizon-carrier-iq... Verizon denies using or ever having used CarrierIQ.
- Synaesthesia 15y ago
  Absolutely. That was the very question I thought of as I posted that. I have a suspicion it's US carriers.
  - shareme 15y ago
    in fact its probably the same exact carrier whose parent was given the right to spy on amercians for the us government after laws were broken..
  - Achshar 15y ago
    Well I live in India and i will look for CareerIQ in my bro's galaxy. The handsets here are contract free and GSM.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- untog 15y ago
  How does that work with the iPhone, I wonder? Android phones have custom firmwares for each carrier, but I thought that everyone downloaded the same update package in iTunes. Am I wrong?
nutjob123 15y ago
We need to specify WHICH carriers forced it onto smartphones. Verizon is the biggest carrier in the US and they don't use carrier iq. (although they do put a ton of crap on phones) http://gigaom.com/2011/12/01/verizon-no-carrieriq-no-way/ http://gigaom.com/2011/12/01/verizon-no-carrieriq-no-way/
WestCoastJustin 15y ago
I have a Samsung GalaxyS running Android on Rogers (rogers.com) up in Canada and there is no CarrierIQ installed. Maybe we need to create a spreadsheet so we can track which phones / providers have this installed.

nodata 15y ago

CarrierIQ - does this mean that contract-free phones don't have it installed?

w1ntermute 15y ago
Of course not. If you bought the phone through a carrier that has CarrierIQ normally installed, then why would they make an exception for the 0.1% of customers who bought a smartphone off-contract? So no, the name has nothing to do with it.
- nodata 15y ago
  Who said anything about buying through a carrier?
  - cbs 15y ago
    You kind of implied it when you said contract-free instead of not from a carrier. At least here in the States, the majority of contract free and prepaid phones for sale are associated with a particular carrier.
    - nodata 15y ago
      I avoided saying "unlocked" because it would imply it was locked at some point. What should I call them?
      - bobbles 15y ago
        In Australia the retailers generally call it a 'handset only' purchase
      - AkThhhpppt 15y ago
        The convention I've seen is "SIM-free."

moomin 15y ago

I'd hope Google knew how to track users efficiently without third-party help.

mstepniowski 15y ago

"We're still wondering why Google would reject Carrier IQ from its flagship devices but allow phones with the software to pass the various Android compatibility tests required to license its apps like Gmail, Google Maps, and Android Market."

drcube 15y ago
Google doesn't include Bing in its flagship devices. That doesn't mean somebody can't install it later if they want to.
- nobody314159265 15y ago
  That's not the point - the point is that apps on Android are sandboxed so that Angry Birds can't read call premium phone lines or extract your calling history. Google approved builds which included a rootkit that could do all these things

rbanffy 15y ago

I think Cyanogenmod builds also are CarrierIQ free. http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices

ktsmith 15y ago
As are MIUI builds which are based on Cyanogenmod.

hamoid 15y ago

Looking at the latest Wikileaks release (http://wikileaks.org/the-spyfiles.html http://wikileaks.org/the-spyfiles.html) it makes me think that this Carrier IQ thing, if it is used for getting to our personal data, is just a pixel in the complete picture.