AT&T buys assets of Carrier IQ; some CIQ employees move to the carrier
You might recall that late in 2011, a bit of a "scandal" erupted over Carrier IQ. The software was said to be embedded inside as many as 150 million handsets, rumored to be capturing every keystroke. At the time, Samsung said that 25 million of its handsets contained some part of Carrier IQ. HTC revealed during the same time period that 6.3 million of its phones had Carrier IQ installed.
During this period from December 2011 to January 2012, smartphone users bordered on the edge of hysteria and paranoia as they wondered if data involving their calls, texts and browsing history was being captured and transmitted to unknown third parties. Most carriers ended up removing Carrier IQ on the handsets they sold to the public.
According to a report published today, AT&T has purchased some of the software and staff of Carrier IQ. The acquisition seems to be a final dismantling of the company as the Carrier IQ website is no longer in service. According to an AT&T spokesman, the nation's second largest carrier had been using the CIQ software as a way to "improve the customer’s network and wireless service experience." T-Mobile is another U.S. carrier that employs Carrier IQ, although it isn't known whether that will continue considering the transaction.
While an AT&T spokesman has confirmed the acquisition, the price of the purchase has not been mentioned. The spokesman told TechCrunch, "We’ve acquired the rights to Carrier iQ’s software, and some CIQ employees moved to AT&T."
The CIQ hysteria pre-dated the revelations about the NSA's secret phone call monitoring by about 18 months.
source: TechCrunch
During this period from December 2011 to January 2012, smartphone users bordered on the edge of hysteria and paranoia as they wondered if data involving their calls, texts and browsing history was being captured and transmitted to unknown third parties. Most carriers ended up removing Carrier IQ on the handsets they sold to the public.
The CIQ hysteria pre-dated the revelations about the NSA's secret phone call monitoring by about 18 months.
"We use CIQ software solely to improve the customer’s network and wireless service experience. This is in line with our Privacy Policy and provides a great benefit to users of our network."-AT&T spokesman
source: TechCrunch
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