[Noisebridge-discuss] Android users can detect CarrierIQ, everyone else is out of luck.

[Jake]

http://betanews.com/2011/12/07/android-users-can-detect-carrier-iq-everyone-else-is-out-of-luck/

Android users have a multitude of options in order to detect whether 
Carrier IQ exists on their smartphones, with at least a dozen applications 
available through the Android Market. While most of the apps will not stop 
Carrier IQ from running, they will at least give those concerned with the 
company's actions some solace in knowing for sure whether they're being 
tracked or not.

Carrier IQ's discovery -- that stealthily monitors cellular users' 
smartphone activity -- set off a firestorm of controversy over the past 
several weeks. Some see it as a serious threat to users' security and 
privacy, while others have likened the reaction to mass hysteria generated 
by the media.

Even here at BetaNews the subject of how exactly to cover the Carrier IQ 
story has become quite contentious. I've asked this question repeatedly: 
is it really as bad as it seems? With the court cases now revving up, we 
will find out soon.

BetaNews tested out two of the available options -- BitDefender's Carrier 
IQ Finder and Lookout Labs' Carrier IQ Detector. The tests were performed 
on a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket running Android 2.3.6 on AT&T's 
network, and both found Carrier IQ present but didn't indicate whether or 
not it was active. We presume so.

Lookout's app has gotten between 100,000 and 500,000 downloads as of 
Wednesday afternoon, while BitDefender had received less than 50,000 
downloads.

We also spotted a few apps that claim to freeze the process that runs 
Carrier IQ's hidden application. These include Trey Holland's Bloat/CIQ 
Freezer Free and RDMSoft's Carrier IQ Process Killer. Without more 
extensive tests, we can't independently verify these actually work as 
advertised, but customer reviews are generally positive.

Have you got an iOS, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone and want to know where 
you stand with Carrier IQ? Right now you're out of luck. Apple's App Store 
did not contain any apps to detect the software: neither did BlackBerry's 
App World nor Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace.