South African smartphone users are not being spied on by the scandal-hit, mobile diagnostics application Carrier IQ, according to the company's local distributor.
Consology co-founder Kevin Meltzer says the mobile intelligence solution failed to break into the local market as it favoured the CDMA technology, deployed in the US.
“No distribution or sale of the Carrier IQ software has been done through Consology or any other company in SA. Carrier IQ is not active in the local marketplace and none of the local mobile phone operators utilise the solution,” he states.
Carrier IQ is at the centre of a privacy invasion controversy that has swept the globe, leading to mobile carriers, operators and device manufacturers being questioned on its use.
The alarm is in response to a security report posted online by Android security developer and researcher Trevor Eckhart. The written report was followed by two videos posted on YouTube, which appear to show the software monitoring key taps, geographical information and incoming messages.
Carrier IQ attempted to prevent Eckhart from publishing the report with threats of legal action based on his characterisation of the application as a rootkit. The company ultimately withdrew the threat and issued a public apology following intervention by the Electronic Frontier Foundation on Eckhart's behalf.
Since the video demonstrations hit headlines in the middle of last week, Carrier IQ is widely reported to have attracted four lawsuits for violating privacy, spyware, wiretapping and unfair business laws. It has also attracted the attention of the US Senate and faces possible investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.
Threat still lurking
Local smartphone users should not be too relieved at the news that the software is not being used in this country, according to Lisa Thornton, an ICT law and regulation specialist.
The Carrier IQ solution makes use of a customer or user-side device, which is - according to the company's literature - embedded into the handset by the manufacturers. This device responds to the mobile intelligence solution, which is sold to the operator or manufacturer. Mobile handsets are largely imported into SA.
“There needs to be confirmation that local handsets do not have this device embedded in them. Without this, there will continue to be a very real threat of the solution being deployed locally and the user being none the wiser,” explains Thornton.
So far, Apple (limited to the iPhone 4), AT&T, Samsung, T-Mobile, HTC and Motorola have confirmed some of their devices are deployed with Carrier IQ embedded. Verizon, Research In Motion (BlackBerry manufacturer) and Nokia have stated the software is not installed by them.
According to its Web site, Carrier IQ is deployed on 141 million handsets.
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