Carrier IQ Meets with FCC and FTC, Explaining Privacy Concerns

Carrier IQ, the embattled phone-monitoring software maker, sought meetings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to educate the two agencies about the functionality of its software and answer any and all questions this week. Although Congressman Markey has asked the FTC to investigate the practices of Carrier IQ, we are not aware of an official investigation into Carrier IQ at this time.

The Federal Trade Commission is the US organization that protects consumer privacy and enforces privacy-related laws, and would be Carrier IQ’s primary foe if an investigation is undertaken. “Consumers and families need to understand who is siphoning off and storing their personal information every time they use their smart phone,” Markey said. “I am asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate this practice, and I will continue to monitor this important privacy issue.”

However, the FTC did not immediately respond to a request for information, the agency does not generally reveal the subjects of its investigations unless the company at issue makes it public. For those who need a refresher, Carrier IQ made headlines in recent weeks after a researcher, Trevor Eckhart, suggested that the technology is secretly embedded on many popular phones and can gather personal data about users. Carrier IQ said its technology is used for diagnostic purposes and denied logging keystrokes or being able to read the content of emails, text messages, or Web sites.

Lawsuits have been filed against Carrier IQ and some carriers, while lawmakers are peppering Carrier IQ with questions and asking the FTC to investigate - which looks like it just may be happening. The public backlash has been fast and furious, in part fueled by the company's reaction to the initial report - Carrier IQ served a cease-and-desist order on Eckhart. The company eventually backed down after the Electronic Frontier Foundation got involved on Eckhart's behalf, but the damage was done as the move made it seem like Carrier IQ was trying to censor a whistleblower and had something to hide.

More recently, there were reports that the FBI was using Carrier IQ software. A blogger filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request asking for details about the agency's use of the technology, but that request was denied because, the FBI said, it might interfere with law enforcement efforts. Someone speculates that "What is still unclear is whether the FBI used Carrier IQ's software in its own investigations, whether it is currently investigating Carrier IQ. The response would seem to indicate at least the former, since the request was specifically for documents related directly to accessing and analyzing Carrier IQ data."

Carrier IQ came out on the charm defensive, releasing a comprehensive FAQ detailing exactly what – and what not – was supposedly collected by its network monitoring tools. Nonetheless, many carriers themselves have been quick to put distance between them and the analytics firm.

MKV Converter, DVD to iPod Converter