No doubt you’ll be aware of the current up-roar about a certain company that goes by the name of Carrier iQ, and the fact that they have been accused of logging sensitive data for the purpose of diagnosing software problems that may become apparent when using both iOS and Android devices.
The company threatened the security expert who discovered the software with a cease and desist, when he demonstrated in a video on YouTube what appeared to be the app capturing the content of SMS messages, and apparently logging search strings from Google which should have been encrypted. After issuing the legal threat, they quickly back tracked after pressure from the EFF, and since the discovery there have been many companies trying to distance themselves from Carrier iQ; and the next is Microsoft.
According to reports, it’s thought that Microsoft will soon be issuing an official statement confirming the fact that they do not use the software on their Windows Phone OS; something that Joe Belifore, who looks after Microsoft’s Windows Phone Management has already said on Twitter.
As well as Microsoft, Apple has also said in a statement that devices running iOS5 no longer has the Carrier iQ software installed. Google have also confirmed that they do no pre-install the software either. As the name of the company suggests, it’s something that the network carriers install on their network branded smartphones – not necessarily done by the handset manufacturer themselves.
Once we get the full low down of the Microsoft statement, we’ll let you know.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.