Here we go again, another case of personal privacy being breached

Carrier IQ: Your phone's secret recording device
By David Goldman @CNNMoneyTech December 1, 2011: 6:28 PM ET

CNN

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Carrier IQ is a piece of software installed on millions of mobile phones that logs everything their users do, from what websites they browse to what their text messages say.

No, it's not part of some great Orwellian plot; it's a diagnostic tool that carriers say plays a crucial role in helping them assess and troubleshoot their networks. But the recording app, which flew under the radar for years until security researchers drew attention to it recently, is setting off red-alert privacy and security alarms.

...Reports about Carrier IQ's hair-raisingly detailed tracking capabilities began swirling in the tech press several months ago and gained steam after Android developer Trevor Eckhart posted an analysis of the software's data logs.

But on Monday, Eckhart followed up with a 17-minute YouTube video showing how the software secretly runs on his HTC EVO 3D Android phone and logs every key press, every text, and the full URL of every website he visits. It recorded that data even from websites that use security encryption designed to prevent that kind of tracking.

Then word began spreading about just how ubiquitous Carrier IQ's software is. It's on an estimated 150 million mobile devices...

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