European Regulators Start Investigating Carrier IQ

Organizations and regulators across Europe, including Germany, have started looking into the use of Carrier IQ's tracking software, to ensure that mobile phone vendors and operators are not violating users' privacy.

The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection has sent a letter to Apple questioning the company about its use of Carrier IQ's software. Thomas Kranig, president of the Bavarian data protection office, said: "The most important thing to me is that users know how their data is used, and if that isn't the case there is a problem." He wouldn't comment on the letter's contents, but expects an answer from Apple within about two weeks. "Normally, Apple employees in Germany have to talk to the U.S. before they can say anything, so we have to wait," said Kranig.