Have An Android Phone? It's Secretly Recording EVERYTHING You Do! [ 01-12-2011 05:52 ]
Author: Oleg Kononosov Source: Threat Level
Translation by: Paul Smith 
Mobile privacy scares seem to be ten a penny these days, but here is one to really chill the blood. A new privacy issue has been raised with Android handsets, an issue that could see just about everything you do on your handset recorded and sent to a third party, from web searches, to location data, to your passwords. Who is behind this monumental brech in privacy? Your manufacturer and your network!
The video below was recorded by Trevor Eckhart, an Android developer, and it shows exactly what is going on behind the scenes on your handset. You will want to skip to around 9 minutes in for the bad stuff and be prepare to be shocked. At one point the video shows a phone number that is being dialled intercepted as well as a text that was sent being intercepted, including the content of the message, but it goes far beyond intercepting text messages.
The software doing the legwork was developed by a company called Carrier IQ, and they boast on their site that they are:
... the only embedded analytics company to support millions of devices simultaneously, we give Wireless Carriers and Handset Manufacturers unprecedented insight into their customers' mobile experience.
So the idea is pretty simple; manufacturers and networks want to see how you are using your device to help their market research. The thing is though that it can record just about every single action you ever take on your phone. Eckhart claims that this software is embedded in almost all Android handsets as well as BlackBerry and Nokia smartphones. The video above pertains to Anroid handsets, but it's not hard to imagine the system woring in a similar fashion on those other platforms. Oh and it doesn't matter if the handset is bought SIM free, the software is probably still there.
The software is buried very deeply on the handset an there are no warnings oropt-outs presented to the end user. In other words you would probably never know that it was even there. The software operates on a level between yourself and the applications you use, which means that even secure apps will still have their data recorded. The same is true no matter what sort of connection you are using e.g. WiFi, 3G, etc.
So what is Carrier IQ saying about this? A public statement said:
While we look at many aspects of a device's performance, we are counting and summarizing performance, not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools.
The video above shows that not to be the case. Keystrokes are indeed recorded with unique identifying signatures that are submitted to Carrier IQ. Encrypted connections are even intercepted by this spyware and sends it to Carrier IQ as plain text.
Removing the software is near impossible, especially for average users. There are no opt-outs, no warnings and no options to deactivate the software. Even Eckhart, who is a developer himself and knows a thing or two about Android handsets, found it difficult to get rid of.
Originally Posted by Fabia_Elegance!
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