Thursday, December 1, 2011

Keystroke-sniffing software found embedded in Nokia, Android, and RIM devices

A piece of keystroke-sniffing software called Carrier IQ has been embedded so deeply in millions of Nokia, Android, and RIM devices that it’s tough to spot and nearly impossible to remove, as 25-year old Connecticut systems administrator Trevor Eckhart revealed in a video Tuesday.

That’s not just creepy, says Paul Ohm, a former Justice Department prosecutor and law professor at the University of Colorado Law School. He thinks it’s also likely grounds for a class action lawsuit based on a federal wiretapping law...

FutureWatch...“In the next days or weeks, someone will sue, and then this company is tangled up in very expensive litigation,” he adds. “It’s almost certain.”

Over the last month, Carrier IQ has attempted to quash Eckhart’s research with a cease-and-desist letter, apologizing only after the Electronic Frontier Foundation came to his defense.  (more) (Note: The accompanying movie is 15+ minutes, but is very revealing.)