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My Story, Rogers, Vodafone and O2 add to Carrier IQ denials

Submitted by admin on December 1, 2011

The quest to dig up the extent of Carrier IQ use in smartphones continues, with more carriers leaping to extricate themselves from the privacy maelstrom. Canada’s Rogers Wireless joins Verizon as the North American carriers in insisting that no Carrier IQ software is present on its devices, with a company spokesperson taking to Twitter to confirm that it has investigated handsets and found no evidence of the monitoring tool.

Meanwhile, UK carriers have also piped up to plead their innocence. Vodafone UK has confirmed it is not collecting Carrier IQ information through handsets it sells, while O2 UK told mocoNews that it too “doesn’t collect” user data. According to the O2 spokesperson, any data collection would be the purview of handset manufacturers, not carriers, though Carrier IQ is known to have inked deals with operators as well.

The new denials join those of Nokia from earlier today, along with the insistence from a “trusted source” that none of Google’s official Nexus devices – the original Nexus One, follow-up Nexus S, or the most recent Galaxy Nexus – have Carrier IQ software loaded. The Motorola XOOM is also said to be clear.

The same can’t be said for the iPhone, however, with digging through iOS 3, 4 and 5 turning up evidence of partial monitoring abilities. However, it can apparently be turned off with a simple settings toggle, one which is set to ensure privacy by default.

Expect more announcements as carriers and manufacturers attempt to explain where, exactly, the extent of their involvement with Carrier IQ ends.

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