A lot of furor has ensued in the tech-world in the recent days over Carrier IQ. In case you are wondering what Carrier IQ is, it is a mobile logging software that can capture the most finest of details of your smartphone, such as the location of your phones, the keys you press, the data you send etc. Of course this means that your privacy is at risk.
This software has only been recently discovered by researcher, Trevor Eckhart, to be operating on a very large number of smartphones, especially those which host an Android OS. Carrier IQ is literally capable of getting any and every info and data from your smartphone if it is installed. The software company has claimed that it uses this data to improve end-user experience.
How to find Carrier IQ on your phone?
Before you get a rush of panic, know that not every single phone hosts Carrier IQ. Google’s Nexus series is free of this software whereas Apple’s iOS has also not been confirmed to be using it. A number of devices by Samsung, HTC and by carriers such as Verizone, Vodafone, have been reported to have this software installed on them. You first need to find out whether or not your smartphone has Carrier IQ installed. To do this, simply download the free logging application by Eckhart. Once you have downloaded and installed the application, run ‘CIQ checks.’ This will let you know straightaway whether or not your phone has been affected by the software.
The process of uninstalling the software, however, is much more complex. If you are an Android user, you may actually have to pay some money to have it fully uninstalled from your phone.
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