Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2011/12/01/al_franken_carrier_iq/

US Senator demands answers from Carrier IQ

Al Franken calls smartphone tracker on the carpet

By Dan Goodin

Posted in Security, 1st December 2011 18:15 GMT

Senator and former late-night funnyman Al Franken has called on Carrier IQ to explain why its diagnostic software, buried in the bowels of 141 million smartphones, isn't a massive violation of US wiretap laws.

In a letter sent to Larry Lenhart, CEO and president of the Mountain View, California-based software maker, Franken expressed concern the software may run afoul of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which forbids the monitoring of communications without the users’ consent, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The letter was sent after a 25-year-old Android app developer published evidence that Carrier IQ software may secretly log end users' key taps and text messages.

“It appears that this software runs automatically every time you turn your phone on,” wrote Franken, who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Privacy Technology and the Law. “It appears that an average user would have no way to know that this software is running – and that when that user finds out, he or she will have no reasonable means to remove or stop it.”

Prior to the posting of a YouTube video by developer Trevor Eckhart, Carrier IQ representatives said their software didn't log specific key strokes or read the contents of messages. They have yet to square those claims against Eckhart's demonstration, in which he used a packet sniffer debugging logs to show the software monitoring every alphanumeric key pressed on his HTC EVO handset, even when entered into webpages encrypted with the SSL, or secure sockets layer, protocol.

The Register has asked Carrier IQ representatives for additional comment, and the request still stands. In the meantime, here's Franken's letter:

Dear Mr. Lenhart,

I am very concerned by recent reports that your company’s software—pre-installed on smartphones used by millions of Americans—is logging and may be transmitting extraordinarily sensitive information from consumers’ phones, including:

•           when they turn their phones on;
•           when they turn their phones off;
•           the phone numbers they dial;
•           the contents of text messages they receive;
•           the URLs of the websites they visit;
•           the contents of their online search queries—even when those searches are encrypted; and
•           the location of the customer using the smartphone—even when the customer has expressly denied permission for an app that is currently running to access his or her location.

It appears that this software runs automatically every time you turn your phone on.  It also appears that an average user would have no way to know that this software is running—and that when that user finds out, he or she will have no reasonable means to remove or stop it.

These revelations are especially concerning in light of Carrier IQ’s public assertions that it is “not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools” (November 16), “[d]oes not record your keystrokes,” and “[d]oes not inspect or report on the content of your communications, such as the content of emails and SMSs” (November 23).

I understand the need to provide usage and diagnostic information to carriers.  I also understand that carriers can modify Carrier IQ’s software.  But it appears that Carrier IQ’s software captures a broad swath of extremely sensitive information from users that would appear to have nothing to do with diagnostics—including who they are calling, the contents of the texts they are receiving, the contents of their searches, and the websites they visit.

These actions may violate federal privacy laws, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.  This is potentially a very serious matter.

I ask that you provide answers to the following questions by December 14, 2011.

(1)        Does Carrier IQ software log users’ location?

(2)        What other data does Carrier IQ software log?  Does it log:

a.         The telephone numbers users dial?
b.         The telephone numbers of individuals calling a user?
c.         The contents of the text messages users receive?
d.         The contents of the text messages users send?
e.         The contents of the emails they receive?
f.          The contents of the emails users send?
g.         The URLs of the websites that users visit?
h.         The contents of users’ online search queries?
i.          The names or contact information from users’ address books?
j.          Any other keystroke data?

(3)        What if any of this data is transmitted off of a users’ phone?  When?  In what form?

(4)        Is that data transmitted to Carrier IQ?  Is it transmitted to smartphone manufacturers, operating system providers, or carriers?  Is it transmitted to any other third parties?

(5)        If Carrier IQ receives this data, does it subsequently share it with third parties?  With whom does it share this data?  What data is shared?

(6)        Will Carrier IQ allow users to stop any logging and transmission of this data?

(7)        How long does Carrier IQ store this data?

(8)        Has Carrier IQ disclosed this data to federal or state law enforcement?

(9)        How does Carrier IQ protect this data against hackers and other security threats?

(10)      Does Carrier IQ believe that its actions comply with the Electronic  Communications Privacy Act, including the federal wiretap statute (18 U.S.C. § 2511 et seq.), the pen register statute (18 USC § 3121 et seq.), and the Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq.)?

(11)      Does Carrier IQ believe that its actions comply with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (18 U.S.C. § 1030)?  Why?

I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

AL FRANKEN
Chairman, Subcommittee on Privacy Technology and the Law

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