Sprint confirms the removal of Carrier IQ software from phones starting in January
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Stephanie Vinge, Sprint spokeswoman on privacy and security issues, indicated that “we have weighed customer concerns and we have disabled use of (Carrier IQ) so that diagnostic information and data is no longer being collected. As we are no longer using the tool, we have decided to remove Carrier IQ from all devices through a maintenance release process.”
She also reiterated that Sprint, which had installed the software on 26 million of its phones, never used Carrier IQ to collect or log any sort of personal information, including text messages, phone calls, emails, photos, etc. Instead, Sprint indicates they used Carrier IQ to help certify phones prior to release, and to keep tabs on aggregate data to see where dropped calls and other network problems may crop up.
Commenting on the process, Vinge stated:
“The tool will be removed through an over-the-air software update process. This means that - as we do for other device updates and maintenance releases - you will receive notice on your device of a maintenance update and upon initiating the update, the software will be removed. We are carefully testing this process first on each device to limit any potential inconvenience for customers as much as possible.”
So there you have it. Carrier IQ has already been disabled on Sprint's network, and the EVO 3D update is the first of many that will remove the software from your phones. We imagine Sprint will need to find another, less contentious way to monitor network performance at some point in the future. It's impossible to say whether this will quiet the various class action lawsuits that cropped up in the face of the Carrier IQ scandal, but you have to credit Sprint for quickly responding to consumer demand.
Sprint customers – does this response make you feel better about the Carrier IQ situation?
source: Sprint
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7 Comments
1. rockhouse67 posted on 17 Jan 2012, 12:19 1 0
Cool....but what's next. (still concerned tho)
2. bucky posted on 17 Jan 2012, 12:21 1 2
makes you wonder if they would have done anything had it not been publicized so widely. f**king crooks
4. GeekMovement posted on 17 Jan 2012, 12:25 1 0
yes carrier iq gone is good. there's got to be better solutions than to be involved in that company's mess. please come to sgsii epic 4g touch soon!
5. mctcm posted on 17 Jan 2012, 13:22 2 1
Goodbye carrierIQ, hello new tracking software you are unaware of
6. Forsaken77 posted on 17 Jan 2012, 13:31 2 0
I won't believe it's fully gone until xda confirms it. They probably removed Carrier IQ and installed a different data collection tool that's less obtrusive. I wish AT&T would remove that crap from my Skyrocket, but they probably have stock in Carrier IQ ;)
7. clott2 posted on 19 Jan 2012, 09:52 0 0
This is good news. Now, if only Sprint would send the maintenance updates out sooner than later.
