Microsoft confirms Windows Phone 7 devices do not contain Carrier IQ software

By Tom Warren, on 1st Dec 11 9:23 pm with 19 Comments

Microsoft confirmed on Monday that Windows Phone devices do not contain Carrier IQ software.

Carrier IQ is a software service that network carriers install on their devices. The software has been the subject of recent controversy following claims by a security research that the software is preinstalled on a number of Android based devices. The software reportedly tracks every key press on a device and can log personal data from the device, including SMS history. The Verge has a great explanation and story board of the recent events. Apple confirmed on Thursday that devices pre-iOS5 contained a version of the software but that it has since been removed with the latest software update. Apple offered the following statement:

“We stopped supporting CarrierIQ 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.”

Joe Belfiore who oversees Windows Phone Program Management, and is responsible for the design and software product definition of forthcoming generations of Windows phones, confirmed on Thursday that no such software is present on Windows Phone devices. “Since people are asking– Windows Phones don’t have CarrierIQ on them either,” said Belfiore in a Twitter message on Thursday. Microsoft will issue a full statement shortly and we’ll update the article accordingly.

  • Anonymous

    and “we’ll update the article accordingly”
    As far as I know, there is no “we” behind winrumors, just T. Warren?

    Anyway, I don’t get the fuzz about the Carrier IQ. If it records keystrokes or not, they don’t benefit from that IMO. So I wouldn’t really care, if it isn’t Carrier IQ that is pre-installed, it’s some proprietary feedback tool that constantly gathers information.

    • BadManDuke

      Sure, but some people might be dumb enough to enter in important personal information, such as SS#, bank accounts, etc. Not everyone working for the carriers is not going to be ethical and so they could harvest such information. Whether or not how likely such info would fall into the wrong hands is not the point.

      The potential for such a scenerio should NEVER knowingly be allowed. I think that is what the fuss is really about.

    • http://twitter.com/J88NYr Jonny Rose

      Why would you have to be dumb to enter your bank account details on a phone, you do it on your home computer buying stuff in the web browser. So why should you have to assume it would be any different on a phone?

    • BadManDuke

      Most people will have some form of protection on their PC to know if a trojan is trying to keylog them.

      Not sure if you read this part above:

      “The software reportedly tracks every key press on a device and can log personal data from the device”

      Being that the carriers can gather this information from your phone, and like I said, not all of their employees will be ethical enough to not seize the opportunity. If Carrier IQ were on my phone, I’d NEVER type this kind of information. It’s the same principle of key-loggin trojans on PC’s, but it has official sanction with the carriers.

    • Guest

      The buzz is twofold. One, most didn’t know it was doing this. Two, even after it was made public, the company denied it was logging these details, only to have the guy who first sounded the alarm show they’re lying.

    • BadManDuke

      Exactly.

      It wouldn’t surprise me if Google was actually in favor of this being installed on Android as a means of gather more data for search advertising.

    • Guest

      Yeah, they probably log the logger. It’s a great way to get around all the customer privacy disclosures they now have to provide due to their past abuses. Who us? We didn’t log you, just CarrierIQ!

    • Anonymous

      The Nexus line (which is Google’s true Android phone) has never featured Carrier IQ. 

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      I guess the “we” means “Tom Warren and Macbook Pro” :-P

    • Guest

      Maybe Tom has a Mini-Me? Or would that be a Tom Thumb? Bad dump pump.

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      I lol’d xD

  • Anonymous

    Thanks goodness. I thought I must have been fully naked by now. :P

    • Guest

      You are, just not by this. And if you don’t mind my saying, you could work out a bit more.

    • Anonymous

      I was just kidding you idiot! :-)

  • http://circuitsoft.tumblr.com CircuitSoft

    Apple will make their software Carrier IQ free in a “Future update”. Probably means never.

    • Impartial

      should have never been there in first place, so far only trustworthy OS are RIM and WP

    • Guest

      MS saying that the OS does not contain it does not mean that keep form carriers from adding it :(   

  • Guest

    Does this mean the cops can’t track us?

  • http://techdealsmag.com/softwaremedia-coupon-code/ tech

    Scary stuff at least it’s not in the IOS 5 software though.