Carrier IQ collected encrypted SMS ‘unintentionally,’ working on fix for logging issues

Carrier IQ told us its story last weekend, but the controversial cellular telemetry firm is also speaking directly to curious individuals today, with a handy new PDF document that explains exactly which forms of data it does and does not collect for its customers. If you’ve already read our extensive interview, there’s not a lot to see here, but there are two new wrinkles to the tale.

First, after conducting a review, Carrier IQ discovered that its software does in fact collect some SMS messages, and doesn’t merely listen for certain SMS keystrokes. However, the company says it’s a bug, and one that only operates “in unique circumstances” at that, such as when SMS and calls interfere. Moreover, the firm also claims that the messages are also encoded such that the data isn’t readable. Second, after pointing the finger at manufacturers like HTC for repeating sensitive user data in Android log files, Carrier IQ says it’s “working with handset manufacturers and network operations to suggest changes to the certification process for new devices to prevent similar problems from occuring again.” There’s no mention in the PDF of any pending FBI investigations, but if you’d like to know as much as Carrier IQ can tell you about where your data is going, simply click our source link below.