Congressman Implores FTC to Open Investigation on Carrier IQ
As if a class action lawsuit wasn’t bad enough, Carrier IQ may have an FTC investigation to deal with, as well. After Senator Al Franken raised his own concerns over the practices of the company and the manufacturers and carriers they work with, Massachusetts congressman Edward Markey has taken things a step further. Markey is imploring the FTC to look into the data-gathering tactics Carrier IQ employs and how the collected information is handled. Privacy concerns and the potential violation of federal laws on wiretapping are at the heart of the congressman’s plea for greater accountability on behalf of Carrier IQ.
As more and more information comes to light, bigger questions are being asked about the ethics and practices of carriers, manufacturers, and software providers when it comes to customer privacy. What began as an isolated incident on HTC handsets sparked a campaign by members of the Android community to uncover the truth behind Carrier IQ, and had that investigation not produced a cease and desist order from Carrier IQ’s lawyers the issue may have gone overlooked. With publicity growing each day, we haven’t heard the last of Carrier IQ.
[via Engadget]