Recent HTC EVO 3D 'security update' removes Carrier IQ

By Jared DiPane
published

Just a few days ago we caught word of an update that was rolling out to the HTC EVO 3D and reports are that it also removed Carrier IQ from the device. Folks who have checked around in the manage applications tab have noticed that "HTC IQAgent" and "IQRD," both of which were Carrier IQ, are no longer present on the device after the update.

That's in line with the leaked version of the ROM that surfaced some weeks ago, and it piggybacks the news we broke that Sprint had stopped collecting Carrier IQ data on all of its phones. We're not expecting Sprint to strip the Carrier IQ code out of all 26 million units spread across 15 or so Sprint devices, but it also wouldn't surprise us to see Carrier IQ to disappear from further updates.  

More: Update in the EVO 3D forums; Thanks, JeanPaul!

Jared DiPane
Jared DiPane
Jared started off writing about mobile phones back when BlackBerry ruled the market, and Windows Mobile was kinda cool. Now, with a family, mortgage and other responsibilities he has no choice but to look for the best deals, and he's here to share them with you.
20 Comments
  • Or at least they replaced ciq with something that you can't see running on your device. Whoa I think I just saw a black helicopter circling overhead.
  • It also removed the search from the music screen.
  • Great job! Now if we can just get Sprint to stop forcing their apps in the load queue (like SprintZone).
  • Ya know, I don’t think Carrier IQ is all that bad, and it kinda sucks to see all the uproar that ensued when people discovered Carrier IQ came down to HTC straight removing it from phones. I mean, it’s used as a diagnostic tool for the carriers so they know when there are service outages, poor network performance, and what-not. Hell, being on AT&T’s network I would have probably signed up for the service so then maybe AT&T will get their 3G network working right. I think the only problem with Carrier IQ was people not being told it was there, and not being given an option to opt out. A better option would have been to implement a notification that pops up (kinda like when you boot an Android phone for the first time) and says, “hey, Carrier IQ is on here, this is what it does, do you want to remove it?”
  • The fact they don't tell you about it is even more suspicious. I don't want anything on my phone tracking anything I do. My business, keep the fuck out of it. That's the problem with people today. They have no care of their privacy. They let the government take away their rights and get more involved in their life. When you are carefree and just give in and not stick up for yourself, you lose rights, you let your rights get taken away for so long until one day you realize they are gone when you actually need them.
  • While I don't disagree with your desire to maintain your privacy. I do disagree with this statement, "That's the problem with people today." It's your opinion that it's a problem when people give up aspects of their privacy, but it's only your opinion. Other people may legitmatally disagree with you and be ok with having less privacy in esxchange for other benefits. You have the right to your privacy and to maintain that privacy. But just like you have the right to maintain your privacy, I have the right to give up my privacy if I choose to. By choosing to give up some of my privacy I can (for example) get better search results, get more reliable cellular service, get better driving directions, etc. While those things may not be worth it to you, they might be worth it to me. And I have that right. The problem is when privacy is taken away from us without being given the option to choose.
  • >"You have the right to your privacy and to maintain that privacy. But just like you have the right to maintain your privacy, I have the right to give up my privacy if I choose to." Actually, we do NOT have the same rights to our privacy as in the past, precisely BECAUSE there are so many people that give up their own rights so easily (if you want to use the word "rights"). It is, indeed, a prevailing problem that so many people are quick to trade any amount of privacy for convenience. And/or not even understand the risks that disclosing certain information can bring over time. The best approach to security and privacy is- if you can't think of a valid reason why some party should have to have access to your information, they shouldn't. This makes much more sense than trying to think of reasons why the should not have information, because we just can't think of all the ways information can be misused- especially with technological improvements. And once information is disclosed or "shared", it is really impossible to "unshare it", and impossible to know exactly how long it will be retained, how it will be used, or who else it will be "shared" with.
  • You said, "It is, indeed, a prevailing problem that so many people are quick to trade any amount of privacy for convenience." Why is that a problem. I can give up some of my privacy for convinence if I choose too; that is my right. Just like you don't what your privacy rights taken away. I don't want my right to exchange privacy for convenience taken away. I agree that privacy is changing. By the time my 5 year old is an adult, he will live in a very different world with respect to privacy then we do now, but I believe that most (but not all) of the changes that are happening will be for the better.
  • You wanting people to stay out of your business is something I wholeheartedly sympathize with, and is a right that I think everybody should have and employ. I never implied that people should just frivolously hand over their privacy to companies/governments; rather, what I was saying was quite the contrary to what you’re interpreting from my comment: people should be explicitly informed about potential privacy concerns (Carrier IQ), and be given the option to implement methods to secure their privacy from them (removing Carrier IQ). The villain in this isn’t so much Carrier IQ itself (it has legitimate purposes), as the fact that it was not disclosed and given the option to remove it.
  • I agree. I think it's the fact that they didn't tell customers and provide an opt-out that was the real problem. Also, some people much smarter than me have said that some of the data that they collected and transmitted wasn't properly encrypted, but things like that come up all the time and get fixed. Overall, this specific issue got blown out of proportion, but it did raise awareness for the cellular device privacy issue which is good.
  • Yes, the issue did get blown out of proportion, and any encryption problems could have been addressed by a Carrier IQ security expert. Personally, I think people should have been focusing more on “Why wasn’t I told about this, and given an option to remove it” than with the software itself. I’m not saying that the software wasn’t a problem; just that there was a bigger issue than what the software did.
  • That's true that there should have been an obvious message notifying the user that Carrier IQ was installed. HOWEVER every bit of diagnostics info they need can be accesses at the network level, and a hidden piece of software is not necessary by any means.
  • If it's vital information for them to have then they could always offer an option of a slight discount on your monthly bill in order to have access to that data - I'm sure there's a good chunk of people out there that would opt for an option such as that...
  • "We're not expecting Sprint to strip the Carrier IQ code out of all 26 million units spread across 15 or so Sprint devices" Why not? It's spyware.
  • Because it is probably just too expensive. It is likely installed on some old devices for which Sprint does not want to pay for updates anymore.
  • This is probably a major reason why the update mentions battery life improvements. I would imagine that something like CIQ, always feeding information back to servers would be killer on your battery life.
  • You know whats really funny about some of these comments? People using google software (Android) complaining about privacy, and saying they don't want anyone knowing what they do on their phone. Just sayin' (and yes I have galaxy s, rooted with a custom rom.)
  • the question is whether or not sprint and other carriers violated the good faith clause that should have existed between them and their users. in a land where mitt romney may very well become the next president, so funny how we pick and choose when integrity is important.
  • I hope they take it off the evo 4g! That would be nice.
  • I just bought an HTC 3D phone and ran the Voodoo Carrier IQ detector on my phone and and not only is it installed and active it has a detection score of 420. So it's BS when they say they have removed it from their products.