T-Mobile admits to preloading Carrier IQ on 450K handsets
updated 02:15 pm EST, Wed December 21, 2011
T-Mobile Carrier IQ software not used for GPS
T-Mobile sent a letter to US Senator Al Franken that confessed the carrier preloaded Carrier IQ software on 450,000 Android and BlackBerry handsets, confirming the leaked memo. In the letter, T-Mobile said it was a limited version of the IQ Agent that can only collect data for individual device troubleshooting purposes, unlike competitors AT&T and Sprint. It also doesn't use the Mobile Service Intelligence Platform to use handsets and users as unsolicited focus groups, according to the claim, unlike the other two.
The carrier added that it it doesn't track GPS locations, URLs, content in messages or websites, or keystrokes. As its version of IQ Agent is preloaded after it leaves the factory, it also doesn't have the same deep phone access that the embedded version gets. Diagnostic data is stored on Carrier IQ's servers for 30 days and only accessed by customer service reps when a solution to a specific problem is needed. The data is used for marketing purposes but not for network optimization purposes as engineers don't have access.
T-Mobile first put IQ Agent on its phones in August. Current phones with Carrier IQ include the HTC Amaze 4G, Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Exhibit II 4G, LG's MyTouch and MyTouch Q, the LG DoublePlay, the BlackBerry Bold 9900, the BlackBerry Curve 9360, and the BlackBerry Torch 9810. [via GigaOM]
