Carrier IQ As It Relates To iOS

Plenty of scuttlebutt concerning the controversial Carrier IQ, which tracks and sends all types of personal data. While researchers are finding that Carrier IQ is prevalent on Android devices (among others), references to Carrier IQ have been found in iOS versions 4 and 5. Noted hacker chpwn has weighed in on the topic, noting that while the software exists, it’s only be active when the iPhone is in diagnostic mode, which can easily be turned off in iOS 5. The file itself is found at /usr/bin/IQAgent.

UPDATE: Here’s the official reply from Apple:

“We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update. With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so.”

big brother poster Carrier IQ As It Relates To iOS

Source: The Verge, chwpn, All Things D

Written By

Christopher Meinck is the Founder and Editorial Director at everythingiCafe. You can also find him co-hosting on everytingiCafe :the show. His obsession over smartphones started with a Handspring Treo 180. While the phones have changed, the obsession continues. You can find him on Google+ and Twitter.

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