Senator Al Franken as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Privacy Technology and the Law has sent a letter to CarrierIQ asking a number of very specific questions regarding user information and technical specifics. It will be interesting to read their response, if there is one. A copy of the letter is available here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/12/01/heres-the-letter-senato... The full text of the letter: Dear Mr. Lenhart, I am very concerned by recent reports that your companybs softwarebpre-installed on smartphones used by millions of Americansbis logging and may be transmitting extraordinarily sensitive information from consumersb phones, including: b" when they turn their phones on; b" when they turn their phones off; b" the phone numbers they dial; b" the contents of text messages they receive; b" the URLs of the websites they visit; b" the contents of their online search queriesbeven when those searches are encrypted; and b" the location of the customer using the smartphonebeven when the customer has expressly denied permission for an app that is currently running to access his or her location. It appears that this software runs automatically every time you turn your phone on. It also appears that an average user would have no way to know that this software is runningband that when that user finds out, he or she will have no reasonable means to remove or stop it. These revelations are especially concerning in light of Carrier IQbs public assertions that it is b not recording keystrokes or providing tracking toolsb (November 16), b [d]oes not record your keystrokes,b and b [d]oes not inspect or report on the content of your communications, such as the content of emails and SMSsb (November 23). I understand the need to provide usage and diagnostic information to carriers. I also understand that carriers can modify Carrier IQbs software. But it appears that Carrier IQbs software captures a broad swath of extremely sensitive information from users that would appear to have nothing to do with diagnosticsbincluding who they are calling, the contents of the texts they are receiving, the contents of their searches, and the websites they visit. These actions may violate federal privacy laws, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This is potentially a very serious matter. I ask that you provide answers to the following questions by December 14, 2011. (1) Does Carrier IQ software log usersb location? (2) What other data does Carrier IQ software log? Does it log: a. The telephone numbers users dial? b. The telephone numbers of individuals calling a user? c. The contents of the text messages users receive? d. The contents of the text messages users send? e. The contents of the emails they receive? f. The contents of the emails users send? g. The URLs of the websites that users visit? h. The contents of usersb online search queries? i. The names or contact information from usersb address books? j. Any other keystroke data? (3) What if any of this data is transmitted off of a usersb phone? When? In what form? (4) Is that data transmitted to Carrier IQ? Is it transmitted to smartphone manufacturers, operating system providers, or carriers? Is it transmitted to any other third parties? (5) If Carrier IQ receives this data, does it subsequently share it with third parties? With whom does it share this data? What data is shared? (6) Will Carrier IQ allow users to stop any logging and transmission of this data? (7) How long does Carrier IQ store this data? (8) Has Carrier IQ disclosed this data to federal or state law enforcement? (9) How does Carrier IQ protect this data against hackers and other security threats? (10) Does Carrier IQ believe that its actions comply with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, including the federal wiretap statute (18 U.S.C. B' 2511 et seq.), the pen register statute (18 USC B' 3121 et seq.), and the Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. B' 2701 et seq.)? (11) Does Carrier IQ believe that its actions comply with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (18 U.S.C. B' 1030)? Why? I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, AL FRANKEN Chairman, Subcommittee on Privacy Technology and the Law _______________________________________________ liberationtech mailing list liberationtech@lists.stanford.edu Should you need to change your subscription options, please go to: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech If you would like to receive a daily digest, click "yes" (once you click above) next to "would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest?" You will need the user name and password you receive from the list moderator in monthly reminders. Should you need immediate assistance, please contact the list moderator. 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