Carrier IQ was a privately owned mobile software company founded in 2005 in Sunnyvale, California. It provided diagnostic analysis of smartphones to the wireless industry via the installation of software on the user's phone, typically in a manner that cannot be removed without rooting the phone. The company says that its software is deployed in over 150 million devices worldwide.Carrier IQ Named as an Innovative Business Analytics Company Under $100M to Watch , Mountain View, CA, October 27, 2011Carrier IQ apologizes, drops threat to security researcher, by Stephen Shankland, 2011/11/25, CNET News.com
History
The company was founded by Konstantin Othmer and is a spin-off from his Core Mobility company. Through its MSIP its software "aggregates, analyzes, and delivers data to wireless carriers and device manufacturers. This information proves a valuable resource for these businesses to understand the quality of service their customers experience."
On January 27, 2009, CEO Mark Quinlivan announced Carrier IQ had received $20 million Series C financing from Intel Capital, and Presidio Ventures, a Sumitomo Corporation Company.
On February 9, 2009, Carrier IQ announced a partnership with Huawei Technologies to develop a "new range of data cards that will provide improved feedback on the mobile broadband user experience."
On February 17, 2009, NEC and Carrier IQ announced a global partnership.
On June 17, 2009, Carrier IQ was selected by TiE as a TiE50 award winner as "One of the Hottest Global Emerging Companies."
On June 16, 2010, Bridgescale Partners announced $12 million in Series D financing for the company.
On October 18, 2010, VisionMobile announced Carrier IQ had joined the "100 Million Club" with its software installed on 100 million phones.
On March 22, 2011, Carrier IQ announced Mobile Intelligence for 4G technologies, including LTE and HSPA+.
On August 31, 2011, Operating Partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures Larry Lenhart was named CEO. The announcement noted that in the second quarter of 2011 Carrier IQ passed the petabyte milestone in processed analytics data.
On October 19, 2011, Carrier IQ and third party vendor Nielsen Company announced a partnership on analyzing data.
On October 27, 2011, IDC named Carrier IQ "Innovative Business Analytics Company Under $100M"
On November 12, 2011, Trevor Eckhart published a report indicating that Carrier IQ software was capable of recording various metrics, including user keystrokes.
At Mobile World Congress 2012, Carrier IQ announced an extension to its IQ Care product with a "customer-facing dashboard", relaying information that they'd usually send to wireless companies—such as battery life, network coverage, app's effect on phone performance, and dropped calls coverage—directly to consumers in an effort to reduce technical support calls.
On December 30, 2015, it was reported that AT&T Inc. had acquired Carrier IQ's software assets and some of its staff, effectively shutting down the company. AT&T had been a customer of Carrier IQ's for several years, using the software to troubleshoot wireless quality on their customers' mobile phones.
Board of directors Its board of directors in November 2011 were:
Larry Lenhart, president and CEO (previously with Mohr Davidow) Bruce Leak, co-founder of WebTV Networks Jon Feiber, Mohr Davidow Ventures Martin Gibson, Accel Partners Bruce Sachs, Charles River Ventures Dominic Endicott, Nauta Capital
Products IQ Agent is software, typically pre-installed on mobile devices by handset manufacturers or network operators, designed to gather, store and forward diagnostic measurements on their behalf. Data available can include metrics on the device itself (e.g., firmware, battery levels, application performance, web performance) and performance data on voice and data connectivity between the device and radio towers. The mobile device manufacturers or network operators determine which of these metrics are actually collected, according to a set of criteria known as a "profile." The IQ Agent software runs in the background, and the user is not usually aware of its presence unless the implementation includes an on-off switch.
IQ Agent periodically uploads data to a Carrier IQ Mobile Service Intelligence Platform (MSIP) system, which then feeds into the network operator's network performance monitoring and diagnostic tools. Whenever a mobile device uploads data, the IQ Agent can also download a new profile to change the selection of metrics gathered.
IQ Agent was first shipped in 2006 on embedded feature phones and has since been implemented on numerous devices and operating systems, including smartphones (Android, RIM, iPhone), USB modems and tablets.
MSIP (Mobile Service Intelligence Platform) refers to the backend Carrier IQ software that receives mobile device diagnostic data directly from mobile devices containing the IQ Agent software. The platform aggregates data from many devices and produces KPIs (key performance indicators) that network operators and mobile device manufacturers can use to assess the quality of services they provide and to troubleshoot mobile device and network problems.
Analytics Domains are MSIP components that enable the system to calculate specific KPIs. Carrier IQ's first analytics domains were on CDMA signaling, later implementing UMTS (third-generation mobile cellular technology for GSM networks), LTE (a standard marketed as 4G LTE) and device-specific domains for device stability, battery and application performance.
IQ Insight is a suite of applications that gathers, analyzes and presents KPIs generated by MSIP through a web-based GUI (graphical user interface). The application delivers data through a geospatial or tabular view of issues (such as dropped calls or no-service conditions) and allows cross-domain analysis of KPIs.
IQ Care is a dashboard tool for network operator and mobile device customer care agents. When a mobile device user calls for support or troubleshooting, IQ Care provides the customer care agent with a dashboard showing the consumer's device configurations (e.g., mobile device serial number, firmware version), usage history (e.g., number of applications installed, battery life) and other user experience metrics (e.g., device and application crash data, radio technology analytics).
Rootkit discovery and media attention On November 12, 2011, researcher Trevor Eckhart stated in a post on androidsecuritytest.com that Carrier IQ was logging information such as location without notifying users or allowing them to opt out,How much of your phone is yours? , By: Russell Holly, 2011/11/15, Geek.com and that the information tracked included detailed keystroke logs,Researcher's Video Shows Secret Software on Millions of Phones Logging Everything, By David Kravets, 2011/11/29, Wired. potentially violating US federal law. On November 16, 2011, Carrier IQ sent Eckhart a cease and desist letter claiming that he was in copyright infringement by posting Carrier IQ training documents on his website and also making "false allegations."Case detailsCarrier IQ Tries to Censor Research With Baseless Legal Threat, By Marcia Hofmann, 2011/11/21, EFF.org Eckhart sought and received the backing of user rights advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
On November 23, 2011, Carrier IQ backed down and apologized.Carrier IQ Drops Empty Legal Threat, Apologizes to Security Researcher, By Marcia Hofmann, 2011/11/23, EFF.org In the statement of apology, Carrier IQ denied allegations of keystroke logging and other forms of tracking, and offered to work with the EFF.Carrier IQ Press Statement , November 23, 2011, (Carrier IQ official response to incident)
On November 28, 2011, Eckhart published a YouTube video that demonstrates Carrier IQ software in the act of logging, as plain text, a variety of keystrokes. Included in the demonstration were clear-text captures of passwords to otherwise secure websites, and activities performed when the cellular network was disabled.Goodin, Dan (November 30, 2011). "Busted! Secret app on millions of phones logs key taps". The Register. The video of the demonstration showed Carrier IQ's software processing keystrokes, browser data, and text messages' contents, but there was no indication that the information processed was recorded or transmitted. Carrier IQ responded with the statement, "The metrics and tools we derive are not designed to deliver such information, nor do we have any intention of developing such tools."Peckham, Matt (December 1, 2011). "Carrier IQ 'Wiretap' Debacle: Much Ado About Something?". Techland. Time. A datasheet for a product called Experience Manager on Carrier IQ's public website clearly states carriers can "Capture a vast array of experience data including screen transitions, button presses, service interactions and anomalies".IQ Insight Experience Manager , Product Overview (PDF:2009), Carrier IQ.
Legal actions against Carrier IQ Many have already been seeking suit against Carrier IQ, including:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts (criminal and civil) United States Department of Justice (criminal) Federal Trade Commission (civil) Sprint Nextel (civil) T-Mobile (civil) JMLECS Umbrella Companies (criminal and civil) Hagens Berman, California, class action (unknown)
Detection and removal Numerous apps have been released that can detect the Carrier IQ. Detecting Carrier IQ normally doesn't require the device to be rooted. The removal process is more advanced and requires the user to root the device, or unlock the device's boot loader (applies only on Nexus devices) in order to remove it. Rooting the device may void its warranty, since system files are modified.
Updates On December 12, 2011, Carrier IQ released a document to explain their software and its uses. The document is titled "Understanding Carrier IQ Technology". There are credits given to Dan Rosenberg and Trevor Eckhart. The nineteen-page document provides a technical breakdown of how the software on a mobile phone works with "profiles" provided by the carrier to give the carriers performance data of their networks and devices running on them. The document appears as if it will be updated on a regular basis as more questions are answered over time.
On December 1, 2011, Carrier IQ issued a "clarification" to its November 23 statements: "While a few individuals have identified that there is a great deal of information available to the Carrier IQ software inside the handset, our software does not record, store or transmit the contents of SMS messages, email, photographs, audio or video. For example, we understand whether an SMS was sent accurately, but do not record or transmit the content of the SMS. We know which applications are draining your battery, but do not capture the screen ... As a condition of its contracts with operators, Carrier IQ operates exclusively within that framework and under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction. The data we gather is transmitted over an encrypted channel and secured within our customers' networks or in our audited and customer-approved facilities ... Carrier IQ acts as an agent for the operators. Each implementation is different and the diagnostic information actually gathered is determined by our customers – the mobile operators. Carrier IQ does not gather any other data from devices.
Carrier IQ is the consumer advocate to the mobile operator, explaining what works and what does not work. Three of the main complaints we hear from mobile device users are (1) dropped calls, (2) poor customer service, and (3) having to constantly recharge the device. Our software allows operators to figure out why problems are occurring, why calls are dropped, and how to extend the life of the battery. When a user calls to complain about a problem, our software helps operators' customer service to more quickly identify the specific issue with the phone."