The clever bunch at XDA-Developers have uncovered a particularly disturbing piece of software embedded deep in the Android operating system. It’s called “Carrier IQ” and it collects “metrics”, which is a docile way of saying that it transmits everything you do with your phone back to its corporate mothership. It collects a frightening amount of data, including your location at any time, the apps you’ve been using and even the words you’ve typed.
This would be somewhat acceptable if users were informed of its existence beforehand, but it comes bundled with the phone by default – the only way to get rid of it is to root (unlock administrative access) of your phone, which is a violation of its warranty. It’s rather offensive to have to break an agreement to get out of a clause that you were not made aware of. I would even go so far as to label this behaviour “unethical”. It’s a great illustration of the quote “If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.”
What’s the takeaway here for the rest of us? Be upfront with your clients. It’s like the old adage that states an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – don’t wait for people to discover something you’ve been hiding from them, because secrecy can make even the most benign practice seem horrible. People will fill in the gaps, sometimes with false assumptions, as they wonder why you hadn’t told them what you were doing or why. Why not show customers some respect and be transparent?
Nov. 29th update: Analysis of the software continues and Carrier IQ botches a cease-and-desist threat to the developer that discovered the software. They really don’t want people to know about it – why?