CarrierIQ Rootkit Found on Android
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 1st Dec 2011 22:29 UTC
Privacy, Security, Encryption So, this has been causing a bit of a major dungstorm - and rightly so. As it turns out, many carriers are installing a piece of non-removable privacy-invading spyware on their smartphones called CarrierIQ. It doesn't matter whether you have a webOS, Android, BlackBerry or iOS device - carriers install it on all of them. Luckily though, it would appear it really depends on your carrier - smartphones in The Netherlands, for instance, are not infested with CarrierIQ. Update: As John Gruber rightfully points out, ever so verbosely, the headline here isn't particularly well-chosen. The article makes all this clear, but the headline doesn't. It's my birthday today, so my head wasn't totally in it - my apologies! Update II: Just got a statement from an HP spokesperson: "HP does not install nor authorize its partners to embed Carrier IQ on its webOS devices."
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RE[2]: BlackBerry, really?
by Morgan on Thu 1st Dec 2011 21:09 UTC in reply to "RE: BlackBerry, really?"
Morgan
Member since:
2005-06-29

Interesting, I was always under the impression that the carriers had a lot of influence when it came to their unique versions of the BB OS. Back in the day I would play with different carriers' versions of the OS for the Storm phones, as I was using a Storm on AT&T's network and I wanted the best experience. There were a lot of low-level differences among each build.

That said, I imagine something like CarrierIQ would be blocked by RIM as it contradicts their marketing regarding security.

By the way, nice to see another Thief fan out there. ;) I've been trying to convince gog.com to get the rights to redistribute the Thief series in a modern playable format. So far they have kindly told me to "taff off".

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[3]: BlackBerry, really?
by Jondice on Thu 1st Dec 2011 21:33 in reply to "RE[2]: BlackBerry, really?"
Jondice Member since:
2006-09-20

I also love the Thief games, but playing a thief/assassin in the elder scrolls games is quite similar in a lot of ways (however, it has been a long time since I played Thief, so I may be missing some points).

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[4]: BlackBerry, really?
by Morgan on Fri 2nd Dec 2011 11:03 in reply to "RE[3]: BlackBerry, really?"
Morgan Member since:
2005-06-29

Well I still play Thief and, dated as it is, nothing comes close to the atmosphere and feel of the game world itself. It was steampunk before steampunk was in the mainstream. And taken as a whole the gameplay is unique, though many other games borrow bits and pieces from it (Assassin's Creed, Deus Ex, Metal Gear Solid etc).

I will say that the Rogue class on World of Warcraft at least gave me the stalking/stealth and pickpocketing aspects of the game, which is why I always went for a Subtlety/Assassination build when playing one.

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