Congressman calls for investigation of cellphone tracking software

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Friday to investigate reports that Carrier IQ software tracks nearly everything that consumers do on their smartphones. Trevor Eckhart, a systems administrator in Connecticut, posted a video earlier this week claiming to show that Carrier IQ, which is embedded in millions of Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones, tracks users' every key stroke. He said the software could collect the phone numbers consumers dial, the contents of their text messages, the websites they visit, their search queries and even the location of the person using the smartphone. Carrier IQ says its software is designed to ensure that phones are operating effectively and does not transmit personal information...more