Does your cellphone have Carrier IQ's spyware?
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- By the end of 2026, how useful do you think agentic/multi-agent AI systems will actually be in your daily work or personal projects? Posted on March 11th, 2026 | 40 comments
How can I tell? (Score:5, Funny)
How do I tell?
I have an iPhone 4 and a Samsung Galaxy mini, but no app named Carrier IQ visible.
[Captcha: hardly]
Re: (Score:2)
If you have iOS 5 you might have it, but turn off send diagnostic data and it's disabled.
http://mashable.com/2011/12/02/iphone-diagnostic-data/ [mashable.com]
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If you have iOS 5 or earlier you might have it, but unless you deliberately turn on send diagnostic data it's disabled.
http://mashable.com/2011/12/02/iphone-diagnostic-data/ [mashable.com]
FTFY.
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My IPOD has more MB's than that HA!
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Cyanogenmod (Score:4, Insightful)
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1. I compiled Cyanogenmod myself and double-checked it, therefore no.
2. I didn't, therefore maybe.
Incite paranoia at 2 AM in the morning by applying symbolic logic formalisms to a conversation about evil technology? Don't mind if I do!
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Nokia N9 (Score:3)
Not on my Nokia N9. I hope the Maemo community does not allow that stuff EVER.
Re:Nokia N9 (Score:5, Informative)
'Sup Maemo buddy!
My N900's clean, and if it wasn't I could MAKE it clean because I have root access, only about 4 clicks on an out-of-the box device B-)
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'clicks'? I hate the application manager, so I just use dpkg or aptitude directly from the shell.
I prefer the shell too, but you have to click to install the rootsh package before you can install things from the shell! :-P
Re:Nokia N9 (Score:5, Funny)
Posting from my clean and soon forgotten N900, RIP.
I find that if I forget my N900, I quickly remember to go back and get it because my pants aren't being pulled off by a huge weight in my pocket.
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Yes, the N9 is worth the upgrade for that reason alone.
Re:Nokia N9 (Score:4, Informative)
For one it's not on any of the list of packages [nokia.com].
Also, there is wireshark available for N900, and plenty of interested developpers. It would have been easily spotted by now.
Finally, the N9 isn't even available in the US, so there's no incentive for Nokia to add it (most other countries have saner privacy laws).
Dumbphone (Score:2)
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Defy+ is a nice phone, just got one! Drowned it in a beer, put it in the dishes, shot movies at a pool, and dropped it a few times, not a scratch.
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http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-01/tech/30462065_1_nokia-phones-rim
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Obligatory Post / Missing Option (Score:4, Funny)
I don't have a cellphone you insensitive clod!
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Ditto here too due to my speech and hearing impediments. It's Internet for me. ;)
Re: Obligatory Post / Missing Option (Score:5, Funny)
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Because cellphones requires you to hear and talk. Smartphones don't since they have other features like Internet.
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Because cellphones requires you to hear and talk.
No they don't. Just use it to send/receive text messages and set it on vibrate. There is also some dumbphones(no touchscreen, no apps etc) that can do video calls.
and smartphone = smart cellphone.
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Oh, Video calls would be useless for me since I don't do sign languages (four fingers and no thumbs too). I do a lot online communicatons on the computers and Internet. I can do texting on my computers too like e-mails, IMs, IRC, etc.
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How do we get it for a free big iPad2 legally? :P
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Really? I thought you had to pay for online services like iPhones. I know wifi is free from open APs.
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Yes and if you have service with the right ISP you sometimes get free WiFi at Starbucks. I know I do, and often I can sit just off their property and get my email while I wait for my appointment.
I'm not sure which carriers all provide it, I know that I get that from Centurylink and I think AT&T does as well, although having a cell contract really doesn't help one avoid having a cell contract.
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Same here. I like being disconnected - it lowers the expectations of others.
Re: Obligatory Post / Missing Option (Score:5, Funny)
I dunno, it's pretty easy to appear disconnected while poking away at my phone during social functions...
Oh, wait, disconnected from what, now?
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I don't think a cellphone would make any difference for AntEater. He have no friends nor relatives.
Don't think that is by accident.
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I don't have a cellphone you insensitive clod!
The very last poll option was put there just for you.
Don't ask me . . . ask Carrier IQ . . . (Score:5, Interesting)
. . . or . . . my carrier . . . or the NSA . . .
Although, both Carrier IQ AND the carriers seem to be implying now that they both knew nothing about the spying.
"Who!? Us!? Illegal tapping?! Storing keystrokes!? Never!"
Everyone one of them was involved, but none of them wants to be responsible for it . . .
Nexus One (Score:4, Interesting)
I believe Google confirmed that none of the Nexus series phones had, or will have, such software.
In any case, I have a custom ROM on my N1 - I guess you might say nuking it from orbit is the only way to be sure.
Re:Nexus One (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, well, if Google says you're not being spied on, then you must be OK.
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Indeed, they're actually pretty above board about it when they are spying. Apart from that accidental WiFi data collection they're generally up front about it and have a relevant ToS that indicates what's being used.
Personally, I'd be more concerned with the Carriers and 3rd party apps.
I don't know - iPhone 4 / iOS5 (Score:2)
An interesting chat about the whole thing can be found on The Register [theregister.co.uk].
Cheers,
Ian
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let's check... (Score:2)
T-Mobile HTC G2 (Score:4, Informative)
A lot of T-Mobile phones have it, and so does a lot of HTC ones as well. But the G2 somehow doesn't.
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Yup. I'm on 2.3.4. No Carrier IQ.
God I hope not.... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm pretty tired of learning how businesses are getting away with tracking and capturing information about me that should have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
I've purchased my phone. I've paid for my contract. There is no need for a company to cry poor when I'm paying for my services. If they were giving it away for free, then I get what I pay for.
This is getting ridiculous. I'd love to know if the CEOs and upper management of these phone companies have the spyware disabled on the phones they create to protect their privacy, but have no problems spying on me.
Removed it. (Score:2)
Missing Option: Used To (Score:5, Insightful)
Mine used to have it there when it was running the default Sprint and HTC approved software, but it's been exclusively AOSP via CyanogenMod for over a year now.
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Howto: remove ciq (Score:5, Informative)
...not anymore on my Galaxy Tab 7"
prerequisites:
root access
busybox installed
Here's how I did it
open shell /dev/block/stl9 /system /system/bin/iqmsd /system/lib/libiq_client.so /system/lib/libiq_service.so /dev/block/stl9 /system
# become root user
su -
mount -o remount,rw -t rfs
rm
rm
rm
mount -o remount,ro -t rfs
# leave root shell
exit
# leave shell
exit
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rm /system/bin/iqmsd /system/lib/libiq_client.so /system/lib/libiq_service.so
rm
rm
In a non-root terminal, I don't see any of those files. Does that mean my phone does NOT have Carrier IQ? (Droid A855)
Of course, Verizon has pushed 2 updates since this story broke, so I wonder if it's been removed to cover their tracks.
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I think the perception that it's mostly HTC and Samsung is probably due to the fact that:
1) At this point, Verizon is the only US carrier not pushing CIQ to customers
2) Verizon is a HEAVY Motorola customer - Motorola has far fewer devices on other carriers. For example, the only Moto Android devices to receive much attention on AT&T are the Atrix and Atrix 2 (e.g. the only Motos that aren't complete and total turds on AT&T) - I don't know about original Atrix but Atrix 2 does have CIQ.
So Moto dev
US only problem (Score:2)
No.
1) Because I'm in the UK, and even the stock carrier android roms don't have it (I did check on my rooted stock gingerbread rom)
2) Because I'm now running ICS on my galaxy S
Missing Option: I don't have a cell phone (Score:2)
Stop the madness (Score:4, Interesting)
No, Its too old, too stupid, too reliable for something as disgusting as that piece of tripe (Samsung Gravity). I use to think programmers had some level of morals and ethics. Today we find that people are legitimately paid to help abuse our civil liberties.
I accept that these types of programs may exist, but it would be nice that I have a choice other then "Don't buy a smart phone" to avoid getting it put in my face. perhaps an Opt In option required by providers instead of hidden collection programs or complex opt out switches. I am not paranoid, but this is just getting out of hand.
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I use to think programmers had some level of morals and ethics.
Why would programmers be different from other professionals? If the pay is good enough, someone is going to do it.
Think of this: if you don't take the money some asshole is going to take it. So why should you, a good enough guy, pass this opportunity and let the asshole take all the money? Surely you're going to put the money to better use than that bastard would, you even donate to charity once a year. People should be thankful you took the job, if someone is going to do it it might as well be you.
See, wit
A symptom of the North American cellular market (Score:5, Insightful)
This is what happens when stupid consumers let carriers control the market for phones by insisting that $500 is too much to pay upfront, opting instead to sign on for three-year $3000 contracts. But the phone is free, right?
Carriers should be dumb pipes, selling an interchangeable and undifferentiated service, viciously competing against each other on the price of data and the quality of service. This is the future they desperately fear, so instead they try to market the phones as if they themselves had anything at all to do with the services you can access or the software that Google wrote. They give their phones idiotic carrier-specific names like the the Incredible, the Enlighten, or the Illusion, trying to cultivate their own little brands.
Innovation happens at HTC, Google, Samsung, LG, etc. Carriers have exactly nothing to do with it, and need to be put into their proper places as vendors of connectivity. The next time you buy a phone, buy unlocked. Don't be afraid to pay a little more up-front: beating a small discount out of the sales droid will more than make up for it, and you'll get a phone that hasn't been fucked with.
You wouldn't buy a laptop from your ISP; why the hell would you buy your handheld computer from one?
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You wouldn't buy a laptop from your ISP;
I almost pissed myself on this, since some wireless providers are trying to get into this business.
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Some people are willing to buy them for cheap to sacrifice privacy. :(
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Ideally, we should reach a point where I don't have a plan with a single carrier. My phone, when it wants to send some data, should poll each of the networks with coverage in my area, asking how much they'd charge to transfer packets with a certain minimum service level, and pick the lowest bidder. That's competition on millisecond timescales, instead of the multi-year timescales between locked-in contracts.
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I tried that, but it's a sucker's deal. None of the carriers that I know of will charge you any less when you bring your own device, so you're paying the same monthly fees as if you bought a subsidized device. The only difference is that you're paying several hundred dollars more for the device. Who's stupid then?
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That you have to pay ridiculous monthly fees whether or not you get a phone along is indeed stupid. I wonder why you call the phone you get from the carriers (in States) 'subsidized' when your ridiculous monthly fees clearly indicate otherwise.
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No (Score:5, Funny)
It does not.
- Sent from my iPhone (They made me say no.)
Questions (Score:2)
I have yet to buy a cell phone.
Is there a way I can avoid getting one with Carrier IQ?
Is there an open source alternative for the software that runs a smart phone that will safeguard a person from intrusive software AND allow them to use all the features of the smart phone?
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For currently in-production devices, your only option is a rootable Android phone with a custom ROM.
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What does "rootable" mean. Is a custom "ROM" a hard drive you can take out and put it on your own?
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"rootable" means the bootloader is unlocked so that you can freely reflash the firmware. The custom ROM is just a binary file that contains the operating system which you flash onto the device, the most popular one being Cyanogenmod.
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Could recommend a specific phone that would have these features? I plan on shopping around for a pay as you go service. Do most services know/care if you have a customized setup?
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No services will need to know if you have a customized setup, and they won't care as long as they don't catch you tethering. You might want to look at the Motorola Droid RAZR or Droid 4, but I don't follow Android hardware news too much and there are many other choices out there.
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Probably your best bet would be to check the CyanogenMod list, buy one on that list, root, S/OFF if needed and re-ROM. I would probably go for a Nexus series if the cellular carrier isn't an issue.
It isn't as open source as Maemo/Meego, but it gives you lots of options, user settable permissions, and no CIQ.
What about desktop computers (Score:2)
How do we know there isn't intrusive software being installed on those now, too?
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Of course it is: they all come with Microsoft Windows installed.
Cyanogenmod never had it and will never have it (Score:2)
I have rooted my N1 long ago. Have been running CyanogenMod since CM6. No spyware on this phone.
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N1 never had it and never will, neither. Neener.
Supposedly no, but I'll be double-checking (Score:2)
I have a Verizon Droid, and Verizon has claimed repeatedly not to use CarrierIQ. I even specifically asked the salesperson when I went in yesterday (although she didn't even know what it was, so it didn't help).
However, I don't trust them, and will be rooting and checking for myself as soon as I find time. I was planning to anyways, to clear out the bloatware (nothing too serious - just a few apps that can't be uninstalled, like Facebook and Amazon).
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Yeah, but I'd been planning to root it anyways - what's the point in having a Linux box without root access?
no but.... it's from (Score:2)
2002
it's JUST A PHONE.. but i love it. i have absolutely no need or desire for a "smart" phone.
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Is there a known list? What about old cellphones? (Score:2)
For examples: Palm Treo, Motorola Razr, etc.
Re:Is there a known list? What about old cellphone (Score:4, Informative)
It's based on the carrier + model not just the model. So a HTC Sensation on T-Mobile might have it but a HTC Sensation on Bell doesn't.
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How about old Palm Treo 680 and Motorola Razor on T-Mobile?
Don't have one. (Score:2)
Most if not all Canadian vendors lack CIQ (Score:2)
I don't know why it is the case, but all the big carriers in Canada do not have Carrier IQ installed. I cannot imagine that it's out of concern for the privacy of their clients. There must be some law hiding somewhere preventing it. Something like PIPA or other provincial equivalents?
Rogers (Also Fido, owned by Rogers along with Chatr), Telus (Koodo, Clearnet), Bell (Virgin, Solo), and Videotron do not have CIQ installed on any phones. This covers about 95% of Canadians.
Thankfully I registered... (Score:2)
Not on mine (Score:2)
I'm safe. (Score:2)
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Skeptics find flaws in Carrier IQ application analysis [networkworld.com]
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I wouldnt necessarily call Carrier IQ spyware.
Obligatory missing option rant:
"I clicked the EULA that said it was OK to spy on me, you insensitive clod!" (this basically supplants the need for the "Yes" option)
Or to put it a different way but maintain the same response set, the poll might as well be titled "Am I OK with my carrier spying on me using Carrier IQ?"
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I have a prepaid phone. I never clicked anything - I bought the phone off ebay, registered it over the phone and pay using prepaid cards. But since the phone is an Android and runs on the Sprint network (Virgin and Boost are both Sprint) I have to assume the phone is running Carrier IQ. And my prevail does not have a CyanogenMod out for for it yet.
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You don't have to assume anything; just download one of the several market apps that will check for CIQ.
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How the heck do you know?
Flashed the heck out of a custom ROM.
Re:You who voted 'no' (Score:5, Informative)
1: Use an app that detects the presence of CarrierIQ. [cnet.com]
2: Use a model that is confirmed not to have CarrierIQ on it. [theverge.com]
3: Root the phone (if necessary) wipe it and install a ROM that is known to be safe.
ROM's (Score:2)
What I find is ironic that an image provided essentially by "random dudes on the internet" is now safer than the one provided by your carrier/manufacturer. Between the shit installed by carriers like carrierIQ, and the shit installed by manufacturers which has little to no security, it's a pretty sad state.
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only nokia's with symbian anna or higher have that.
Older ones don't.
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"I've" is a perfectly acceptable contraction of "I have".