Skip to main content

App installed on millions of phones secretly records all activity

carrier-iq
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mobile users, beware: you’re being watched — constantly. An Android developer claims to have discovered an app that comes pre-installed on millions of Android and BlackBerry handsets, that records all activity on the device. That includes calls, location, and every key pressed on the device.

Update: Nokia says that reports that this software is installed on its devices is incorrect, and that the software won’t work with their systems.

The app, created by California-based software company Carrier IQ, is shown in a video posted to YouTube (see below) by developer Trevor Eckhard logging every key he pressed, in real time. The software even recorded Eckhard’s geographic location, when connected to Google via Wi-Fi — not 3G — even though he denied permission for Google to track his whereabouts. Calls aren’t safe, either.

“Every button you press in the dialer before you call,” Eckhard says on the video, “it already gets sent off to the IQ application.”

According to Carrier IQ, the software is simply used to assess quality control, telling Wired that the app is 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.”

The company also denied that the software transmits user data in real time.

“Our technology is not real time,” said Andrew Coward, Carrier IQ’s VP of marketing, in an interview last week. “It’s not constantly reporting back. It’s gathering information up and is usually transmitted in small doses.”

So when Eckhard dubbed the software a “rootkit” — a term typically associated with trojans and other malware — Carrier IQ threatened to wage a legal battle against Eckhard. The company quickly pulled off its dogs, however, after the Electronic Frontier Foundation came out in support of Eckhard’s claims. Carrier IQ also denies that its software records keystrokes — a claim obviously refuted by Eckhard’s video.

The only way to rid your device of Carrier IQ’s invasive monitoring software is to completely wipe your device, and reinstall it with a new operating system.

This is, of course, not the first time we’ve learned about our mobile devices betraying our private data. But it doesn’t make it any less troublesome, this time around.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Don’t buy this new Motorola phone — get this other one instead
Renders of the Moto G 5G (2024) and Moto G Power 5G (2024).

the Moto G 5G (left) and Moto G Power 5G Digital Trends

Budget phones can slip under the radar when shiny, powerful flagships launch. But if you're in the market for a smartphone that gets the job done and won't blow a four-figure hole in your bank balance, then a great budget smartphone is the way to go.

Read more
Get 32% off the cellular model of the iPad Pro 12.9 this weekend
The iPad Pro on a desk next to a stylus and AirPods.

If you've been thinking about getting the iPad Pro with cellular connectivity but you've been hoping to buy the tablet from iPad deals for a discount, this may be what you've been waiting for -- a 32% discount from Amazon's Woot on the 12.9-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular model of the 2021 Apple iPad Pro with 128GB of storage. From $1,199, it's down to just $810, which is a steal price for this device with savings of $389. However, while there are still several days left on this offer, it's highly recommended that you proceed with the purchase immediately because there's a chance that stocks don't last that long.

Why you should buy the 2021 Apple iPad Pro 12.9
It's not the latest version of Apple's top-of-the-line tablet -- the honor goes to the 2022 Apple iPad Pro -- but the 2021 Apple iPad Pro is still a pretty powerful device by today's standards. That's because it's equipped with Apple's M1 chip, which promises fantastic speed and excellent graphics when you're working on your multimedia projects, multitasking between several apps, or playing console-level games. With its 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR touchscreen, you'll enjoy high-brightness and high-contrast content, and its mini-LED display provides deeper black levels and more vibrant colors.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy A55 vs. A54: all the big changes, explained
Renders of the Samsung Galaxy A55 next to the Galaxy A54.

Galaxy A55 (left) and Galaxy A54 Digital Trends

Samsung has been on a roll with new phone releases in 2024. At the end of January, Samsung released the flagship Galaxy S24 lineup. It's fantastic, but not everyone can afford the latest and greatest flagship. Thankfully, Samsung also makes budget-friendly alternatives, and that’s the appeal of the new Galaxy A55.

Read more