Sprint Kills Carrier IQ On Its Phones
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The outrage over Carrier IQ was bubbling just below the surface for months before it exploded out of modding circles a few weeks ago. The diagnostics software is on many phones, particularly Android handsets, and is used to gather extensive usage data. After the public outcry, Sprint has announced that Carrier IQ will no longer be used on its phones, and will be disabled on current devices.
This is a startling about-face from the Now Network. Sprint was out in front of the Carrier IQ fiasco claiming that the software was essential to its network performance. According to Sprint, its carrier partners have been instructed to remove Carrier IQ from all future software updates. Even phones that still have the service running will not be sending the data anywhere.
Sprint users aren’t totally out of the woods yet, though. The carrier has also affirmed its intention to continue “evaluating options regarding this diagnostic software as well as Sprint's diagnostic needs.” Some replacement for Carrier IQ could be coming soon. Is this a ‘better the devil you know’ situation?
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dstevens
December 19, 2011 at 3:12pm
soon they will just mod thier eula to include raping you, and that they cannot be sued, and put a worse one in.
Eoraptor
December 17, 2011 at 5:23pm
In other words, they'll simply search for a program that can be rooted and hidden even more deeply. If this ever was really a "diagnostic tool" then it easily could have been labeled something "Phone Diagnostics inc" and put right in the file structure with prohibitions about removal.
No, instead it was blanketed and hidden in as much obfuscation as possible, meaning it was intended wholly for the purpose of spying on users and mining them for every bit of marketable data they could whore out.
I Jedi
December 16, 2011 at 10:17pm
So why didn't they remove this terrible code before? In all honesty, they don't give a fuck; only for the backlash they're now receiving. Fuck Sprint.
Archangel1976
December 16, 2011 at 4:09pm
Hey.... at least they said they're pulling it.
What has been AT&T and Verizon's response? Hm?
scottd34
December 16, 2011 at 6:58pm
Seeing as how Verizon publicly said they dont use it, im sure they wont say anything.
kixofmyg0t
December 16, 2011 at 2:44pm
Riiiiiiiight.
The only way you can make sure of that is to remove it urself.
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