Carrier IQ: Not so invasive after all

The firestorm surrounding the Carrier IQ software built into Android and other smartphones may have been just a wee bit overblown, according to security researcher Dan Rosenberg.

The software (or "rootkit") -- deemed highly intrusive in a recent report by Trevor Eckhart -- cannot record the content of text messages, Web pages, or email, "even if carriers and handset manufacturers wished to abuse it to do so." Rosenberg, who works for application security company VSR, independently conducted an in-depth test of the Carrier IQ software, investigating the software's hooks into Android, what sort of data the software can collect, and in what situations. In a nutshell, Rosenberg concludes that Carrier IQ shows no sign of "evil intent" -- and provides a potentially valuable service in helping to improve mobile users' experience on cellular networks. Rosenberg did observe that Carrier IQ -- like any mobile app -- could be modified for nefarious actions. What's more, Rosenberg says that Carrier IQ -- and more so, smartphone manufacturers and carriers -- need to do better at protecting user privacy.