Sen. Franken Demands Answers from Company Accused of Secretly Logging Location and Private Information

 

Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) called on Carrier IQ, the developer of an application that has apparently been installed on millions of smartphones and that logs and may transmit sensitive information – including users’ locations, the websites they visit, and the contents of their text messages and online searches – to explain exactly what the software records, whether it is transmitted to Carrier IQ or any third party, and whether the data is protected against security threats that could risk the safety and privacy of American consumers.

“Consumers need to know that their safety and privacy are being protected by the companies they trust with their sensitive information,” said Sen. Franken. “The revelation that the locations and other sensitive data of millions of Americans are being secretly recorded and possibly transmitted is deeply troubling. This news underscores the need for Congress to act swiftly to protect the location information and private, sensitive information of consumers. But right now, Carrier IQ has a lot of questions to answer.”

Earlier this week, a researcher confirmed that software developed by Carrier IQ was logging and potentially transmitting the sensitive information of consumers, including:

when they turn their phones on;

when they turn their phones off;

the phone numbers they dial;

the contents of text messages they receive;

the URLs of the websites they visit;the contents of their online search queries—even when those searches are encrypted; and

the location of the customer using the smartphone—even when the customer has expressly denied permission for an app that is currently running to access his or her location.

In his letter, Sen. Franken called on Carrier IQ President and CEO Larry Lenhart to explain exactly what information the software records, whether that information is transmitted to Carrier IQ or to other companies, and whether that information is shared with any third party, among other things.  He also asked if Carrier IQ would allow users to stop this tracking.

Earlier this year, Sen. Franken introduced the Location Privacy Protection Act, which would require companies like Connect IQ to obtain the explicit permission of customers before tracking their location information or sharing that information with third parties. The legislation has already garnered significant support in the Senate and from prominent privacy and consumer protection advocates.

Sen. Franken has been a leader on privacy issues since joining the Senate and earlier this year was named chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology & the Law. In May, he held the first hearing of that subcommittee, called Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy, during which he heard from representatives from Apple and Google, officials from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, and technology experts. In September, Sen. Franken successfully called on Onstar to reverse its decision to track the locations of its customers and potentially sell that information to third parties.

The full text of the letter can be downloaded here.

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