Sen. Franken Demands Answers from Company Accused of Secretly Logging Private Info of Millions of Smartphone Users
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) called on Carrier IQ, the developer of an application that has apparently been installed on millions of smartphones and that logs and may transmit sensitive information - including users’ locations, the websites they visit, and the contents of their text messages and online searches - to explain exactly what the software records, whether it is transmitted to Carrier IQ or any third party, and whether the data is protected against security threats that could risk the safety and privacy of American consumers.
“Consumers need to know that their safety and privacy are being protected by the companies they trust with their sensitive information,” said Sen. Franken. “The revelation that the locations and other sensitive data of millions of Americans are being secretly recorded and possibly transmitted is deeply troubling. This news underscores the need for Congress to act swiftly to protect the location information and private, sensitive information of consumers. But right now, Carrier IQ has a lot of questions to answer.”
Indeed.