Developer Hit with Cease and Desist Order for CarrierIQ Investigations
You surely remember HTC’s recent data snafu. It was discovered that software in their recent handsets was designed to track and collect plenty of personal information, data that was vulnerable to discovery. HTC recognized the problem and quickly set about to issue a fix, but the long-term implications of the ordeal are still being felt.
The initial issue with leaky data put developer Trevor Eckhart (TrevE on XDA) on a search which eventually culminated in a lengthy investigation into CarrierIQ, the software behind HTC’s data tracking. In an effort to inform the community and spread word of CarrierIQ’s practices, Eckhart was transparent in what he uncovered, bringing the practices of CarrierIQ to light. The company is not happy, and has issued a Cease and Desist order demanding that Eckhart remove all of his postings on the software and issue a formal statement dismissing any claims he has made against the software maker.
Eckhart has reached out to the Electronic Frontier Foundation for counseling, and is standing firm in his fight against CarrierIQ. The EFF sees the allegations as bogus, stating that Eckhart “used and made available these materials in order to educate consumers and security researchers about the functionality of your software, which he believes raises substantial privacy concerns.”
[via XDA, TechCrunch | Thanks to all who sent this in!]