Who Is Behind Secret Phone Tracking Software ‘Carrier IQ’?

 

Your smartphone is probably spying on you, unless you’re a Windows Phone customer.

That’s the unfortunate conclusion of a number of tech bloggers and security researchers over the past two weeks who have stumbled upon the whopper of all real-life tech conspiracies: That a piece of what appears to be remote, real-time tracking software called “Carrier IQ,” made by a company of the same name, is installed on upwards of 140 million handsets worldwide, including many popular Android, iOS, Nokia and BlackBerry devices in the U.S.

Further, the software records a breathtaking amount of user information, including keystrokes, SMS messages, Web searches and a user’s location, all without a user’s knowledge or expressed consent.

Still unanswered: Just who installed the software on the handsets in the first place and who is receiving all of the user information obtained. Handset makers (such as HTC and RIM) are blaming wireless providers (carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint), but many wireless companies have denied installing the software.

Whoever is benefitting from the software, they and Carrier IQ could be subject to a class-action lawsuit for breaking U.S. wiretapping law, a former Justice Department prosecutor recently told Forbes.

In the case of the Android, Nokia and BlackBerry devices, the software may be capturing and recording nearly all of a user’s activities by logging their keystrokes, according to systems administrator and Android researcher Trevor Eckhart, who first brought the matter to light in a blog post the week of November 14, after he hooked his Android phone up to his computer and ran an analysis on the Carrier IQ software, only to find that it “secretly chronicles a user’s phone experience, from its apps, battery life and texts,” as Wired Threat Level reported.

Eckhart later posted a revealing video showing just how much information the software captures, including every keystroke on his Sprint HTC EVO 3D 4G Android device, and all without any disclaimers that it is doing so and without any way to stop it.

Carrier IQ on November 23 posted a press statement attempting to rebut Eckhart’s demonstration, saying Carrier IQ software “does not record your keystrokes, does not provide tracking tools, does not inspect or report the content of your communications, such as the content of emails and SMSs, does not provide real-time data reporting to any customer.”

Still, based on the work of other hackers and security experts online, it appears that although Carrier IQ’s reign is widespread, it isn’t on every device, and doesn’t take the same form on all devices.

On November 29, blogger and Windows hacker Rafael Rivera tweeted “I have found no evidence to suggest CIQ is present on any Windows Phone device. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

On November 30, iPhone hacker and Hacker News creator Grant Paul, aka Chpwn, published a post on his blog detailing the fact that Carrier IQ can also be found in a less extensive form on all versions of iOS, from iOS 3 onward.

As the Verge reported, in the case of iPhones, “the good news is that [Carrier IQ] does not appear to actually send any information so long as a setting called DiagnosticsAllowed is set to off, which is the default.”

We’ve reached out to Carrier IQ, Microsoft, and Apple on these these pressing issues and more.

Furthermore, based on the information retrieved and the responses of handset makers, it appears as though Carrier IQ’s primary customer base — that is, the recipients of the user information obtained on the phones — is wireless service providers, not the device makers themselves. In fact, many of the device makers seemed to be flabbergasted at the news of Carrier IQ’s existence.

As Research in Motion, the manufacturer of the BlackBerry, told TPM in a vehement denial via email:

RIM is aware of a recent claim by a security researcher that an application called “CarrierIQ” is installed on mobile devices from multiple vendors without the knowledge or consent of the device users. RIM does not pre-install the CarrierIQ app on BlackBerry smartphones or authorize its carrier partners to install the CarrierIQ app before sales or distribution. RIM also did not develop or commission the development of the CarrierIQ application, and has no involvement in the testing, promotion, or distribution of the app. RIM will continue to investigate reports and speculation related to CarrierIQ.

Nokia and HTC released issued similar statements denying that they have any relationship with Carrier IQ. Nokia told TPM via email that “Carrier IQ does not ship any products for Nokia devices. Nokia devices do not contain Carrier IQ.”

The HTC statement provided to the blog Bright Side of News Carrier IQ is required on devices by a number of U.S carriers so if consumers or media have any questions about the practices relating to, or data collected by, Carrier IQ we’d advise them to contact their carrier.” (emphasis added) is revealing in that HTC notes: “

But many carriers are playing dumb, saying they are not responsible for installing the software on mobile phones that contain it.

Verizon emailed TPM the following statement: “Verizon Wireless does not add Carrier IQ to our phones, and the reports we have seen about Verizon using Carrier IQ are false.”

We’ve reached out to America’s other three major wireless carriers — AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — for more information on their relationships with Carrier IQ and will update when we receive a response.

It should also be noted that Carrier IQ, the six-year-old Mountain View, California company behind the eponymous software, hasn’t been exactly cooperative during the process of this crowdsourced investigation. Quite the contrary in fact.

The company responded on November 16 to Eckhart’s initial post by firing off a cease-and-desist letter to Eckhart, threatening to sue him for “copyright infringement,” for publishing the inner-workings of their software.

Eckhart smartly sought counsel from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit digital rights advocacy organization, which responded on November 21 with it’s own letter telling Carrier IQ it had no legal grounds upon which to threaten Eckhart and to back off.

As the EFF wrote in its letter to Carrier IQ: “Given that there is no basis for your legal claims, we must conclude that your threats are motivated by a desire to suppress Mr. Eckhart’s research conclusions, and to prevent others from verifying those conclusions. Mr. Eckhart stands by his research and, accordingly, declines to meet your demands. We ask that you immediately withdraw your allegations in writing.”

Carrier IQ capitulated two days later on November 23, faxing a letter to the EFF saying it had unequivocally dropped the cease-and-desist request and was “sorry for any concern or trouble that our letter may have caused Mr. Eckhart.” Carrier IQ also said it should have reached out to Eckhart directly to “start a discussion” about the issues he raised and asked the EFF to help initiate a “dialogue.”

Eckhart’s two blog posts have since been taken down. We’ve reached out to him for more information on why, as well as his current status, and we’ll update when we receive a response.

The EFF, for its part, told TPM that “We’re acting as counsel for Mr. Eckhart in this
matter, and are monitoring the situation as it develops. Unfortunately,
we can’t provide independent analysis at this time.”

TPM has a number of calls out regarding the software and will keep you informed on the latest developments. In the meantime, follow along with the rapidly evolving story yourself on Twitter under the hashtag #CIQ

First update: Microsoft PR confirmed in an email: “The Windows Phone operating system does not include the Carrier IQ software.”

Moreover, Windows Phone program manager Joe Belfiore tweeted on Thursday: “Since people are asking— Windows Phones don’t have CarrierIQ on them either.”

We’ve reached out to Microsoft to see if any comparable software is installed on Windows phones and will update when we hear back.

Second update: A spokesperson from Google emailed TPM the following response: “We do not have an affiliation with CarrierIQ. Android is an open source effort and we do not control how carriers or OEMs customize their devices.”

OEMs are “original equipment manufacturers,” those companies including HTC and Samsung that create the mobile devices upon which Google’s Android runs.

The Verge earlier discovered that Google’s Galaxy Nexus phones, manufactured by Samsung but tightly controlled by Google, also don’t contain Carrier IQ.

We’ve reached out to Google to ask why the Galaxy Nexus phones don’t contain the software as well as asked if any Android phones contain other “mobile service intelligence solutions.”

Third update: Apple emailed TPM the following statement:

“We stopped supporting CarrierIQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update. With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so.”

An Apple spokesperson also revealed to TPM that the company would be releasing an update “in the near future” that would eliminate Carrier IQ from older versions of iOS. The spokesperson declined to say why Apple had decided against Carrier IQ after electing to use it previously, but said that the program had been used in the past to “optimize information about networks to make Apple products and services better.”

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Who does, or does not, use the Carrier IQ 'rootkit' in their devices?

Apple: We Stopped Supporting Carrier IQ With iOS 5

As the realization sinks in with various organizations that "Holy sh*t, we'd better say something about Carrier IQ," folks are doing just that. A number of entities have come forth and either confirmed --- or denied --- that they have anything to do with the now renowed "rootkit," as a researcher first called the logging software.

First off, the 800-pound gorilla in the room, Apple, has confirmed that it "used to" use Carrier IQ, but dumped it with the recently released iOS 5. Of course, that doesn't make anyone who hasn't upgraded their device to iOS 5 happy --- and some can't upgraded their devices to that version.

Apple said, "We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update. With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so."

Reportedly, the Nexus One, Nexus S, and Galaxy Nexus do not carry the software either. Neither does the Motorola Xoom. That makes sense: those devices were all supposed to be "genuine Android devices," without add-ons like Sense or Touchwiz --- or Carrier IQ, we surmise.

Next up is Nokia. Although originally reported to have phones with Carrier IQ embedded in them, the Espoo, Finland-based company said, “Nokia is aware of inaccurate reports which state that software from CarrierIQ has been found on Nokia devices. CarrierIQ does not ship products for any Nokia devices, so these reports are wrong.”

RIM also says that despite initial reports that BlackBerry devices were "infacted" with Carrier IQ, its devices are IQ-free.

Ah, but Carrier IQ was supposed to help carriers determine issues on their devices. It was supposed to help fix issues such as dropped calls, etc., but the recent report by developer Trevor Eckhart found that it was actually logging keystrokes and far, far more.

Among the top three U.S. carriers, Verizon has confirmed that it's not using Carrier IQ in any of its handsets. Using software provided by XDA Developers, which only works on rooted devices, by the way, we have determined that neither a Droid X nor a Droid 3 we tested carried Carrier IQ.

However, both AT&T and Sprint have confirmed that their handsets DO have Carrier IQ.

AT&T and Sprint insist that the software is being used only to improve wireless network performance. That's hard to swallow when one looks at the video evidence, although just because Carrier IQ is recording keystrokes doesn't mean it's sending those keystrokes off to the mother ship. T-Mobile has not yet commented.

OEMs HTC and Samsung say their devices carry Carrier IQ because carriers have asked for it. Motorola has not commented.

So, a quick run-down of who does and does not cast their lot with Carrier IQ, among the top handset manufacturers and U.S. carriers:

Carriers:

Verizon: No

AT&T: Yes, for network improvement purposes

Sprint: Yes, for network improvement purposes

T-Mobile: No comment, yet

Handsets:

Samsung: Yes

Apple: not any longer

HTC: Yes

Motorola: No comment

BlackBerry: No

Nokia: No

Just as with any of the other security and privacy FUBARs that have occurred in the past, the big problem is lack of information. Neither the carriers nor the majority of OEMs have been forthcoming enough on Carrier IQ.

Certainly, Carrier IQ hasn't helped. It first threatened to sue Eckhart, but then backed down after he received aid from the Elecronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

This is not over, not by a longshot, and we wouldn't be surprised to see a number of ROM upgrades coming down the pipe ro remove Carrier IQ. That includes Apple, since they admitted that it's no longer used in iOS 5, but some devices are stuck on 4, and they would, if they so choose, need to release updated iOS 4 builds to remove Carrier IQ.

 

 

 

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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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WikiLeaks Unveils 160 Firms' Surveillance Gear Sales Docs, Still No Submissions System

WikiLeaks is still in the secret-spilling business. But not, apparently, in the business of accepting those secrets through the anonymous dropbox that was once its trademark.

The site on Thursday unveiled a new trove of 287 documents it’s calling the Spy Files, a collection of 287 digital surveillance firms’ marketing materials, price lists and catalogs,  a joint effort with Bugged Planet, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Privacy International, and with a new cadre of media partners including the Washington Post, the Hindu, the Italian paper L’Espresso and the French news outlet OWNI. The documents, sorted by company name and dozens of types of surveillance such as spyware, Wifi interception, and cellphone forensics are broken down on the new page of WikiLeaks’ site.

“Mass interception of entire populations is not only a reality, it is a secret new industry spanning 25 countries,” a statement on the site reads. “International surveillance companies are based in the more technologically sophisticated countries, and they sell their technology on to every country of the world. This industry is, in practice, unregulated. Intelligence agencies, military forces and police authorities are able to silently, and on mass, and secretly intercept calls and take over computers without the help or knowledge of the telecommunication providers. Users’ physical location can be tracked if they are carrying a mobile phone, even if it is only on stand by.”

Included among the leaked documents are those from major companies like Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia-Siemens, HP, and dozens of smaller firms. But just how much previously unknown surveillance is revealed in the documents isn’t clear, given that the last month already saw several major exposés of gear from Western tech firms sold to repressive regimes for censorship and spying. The Wall Street Journal last month dumped a similar cache of surveillance firm materials, releases from the hacker group Telecomix and the Canadian research group Citizen Lab have revealed Blue Coat’s  technology in Syria and Burma, while Bloomberg reports showed that NetApp, HP, Qosmos and Ultimaco all sold gear that was found in Syria’s surveillance complex.

WikiLeaks has hinted that more documents will be released over time, and other revelations may surface as the public combs through the Spy Files. The French media outlet OWNI, for instance, has revealed a page of a manual from the French surveillance firm Amesys that includes a screenshot showing more than 40 pseudonyms of tracked figures. Many of those pseudonyms, OWNI has found, corresponded with political dissidents and activists that Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi had sought to jail or kill.

Meanwhile, one other long-awaited release from WikiLeaks has yet to come: Its new submission system. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had said in a press conference in October that the site would launch its new anonymous dropbox on November 28th, a year after its announcement of its Cablegate leak of 251,000 State Department documents. In a statement to press over the weekend titled “Online security and the reopening of the submission system,” WikiLeaks had delayed that launch until Thursday, but still hinted at a “new phase” for the group.

In the announcement Thursday, no mention was made of that new dropbox. Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks’ Icelandic spokesperson, confirmed to me by phone that the new submissions platform is still not online.

Assange has blamed the delay of his new leak platform in part on vulnerabilities in the SSL encryption commonly used on websites, after a year that saw several of the companies ensuring the authenticity of encrypted sites compromised and used to issue fraudulent certificates. “Online security has become severely and irreversibly compromised over the past months,” reads WikiLeaks’ latest statement on the submissions platform from last week. “Over a year or longer, SSL certificates have been penetrated by various organized crime groups and intelligence agencies. The entire SSL system, which is the mechanism that guarantees security and anonymity online, has been compromised. SSL is beyond repair.”

With its leak channel down for more than a year, just where the Spy Files came from isn’t clear. One of WikiLeaks’ partners, such as the surveillance-tech-focused Bugged Planet project run by Chaos Computer Club president and WikiLeaks associate Andy Muller-Maguhn, may have obtained the documents. Assange has also hinted that sources have still been able to send him anonymous documents through other channels.

“For the last 12 months, you haven’t been able to go through the front door,” to submit  information to WikiLeaks, he said at October’s press conference. “You’ve had to establish contacts with the organization and transmit us the material through other mechanisms.”

WikiLeaks’ official submission system has been offline since former WikiLeaker Daniel Domscheit-Berg and at least one other engineer left the group in the fall of 2010, taking with them much of the control of its infrastructure and thousands of leaked documents, which they later deleted out of security concerns. Assange has since argued that the rise of online surveillance and the insecurity of Web infrastructure like SSL has made anonymity online harder than ever in WikiLeaks’ history.

With this latest portrait of pervasive spying on the Internet, don’t expect WikiLeaks’ new strain of pessimism to brighten any time soon.

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#OpRobinHood: TeaMp0isoN and Anonymous 

Hello, we are p0isAnon. Anonymous and TeaMp0isoN have joined forces to fight censorship in the name of OpCensorThis. There is a new operation that has been taking place over the actions of Banks in response to the Occupy Movement. We have watched our brothers and sisters being refused their hard earned money by the banks on top of being beaten and brutalized by officers during peaceful demonstrations. Congratulations banks, you have gotten our attention. 

You ignore your customers and use authorities to censor their voices. Operation Censor This will not stand for such acts and is spawning another operation under Operation Cash Back which already removed well over 500,000 accounts from banks and put them into credit unions. This is the next step. Banks have stolen millions from its customers as well as lacked the security to protect them. We give you Operation Robin Hood. 

In regards to the recent demonstrations and protests across the globe, we are going to turn the tables on the banks. Operation Robin Hood is going to return the money to those who have been cheated by our system and most importantly to those hurt by our banks. Operation Robin Hood will take credit cards and donate to the 99% as well as various charities around the globe. The banks will be forced to reimburse the people there money back.

We are going to take what belongs to us. The Banks have thrown people out on the streets with corrupted actions. When the poor steals, it’s considered violence, but when the banks steal from us, it’s called business. 

We have already taken Chase, Bank of America, and CitiBank credit cards with big breaches across the map. We have returned it to the poor (the TRUE 99%) who deserve it. 

We have donated thousands to many protests around the world. We have donated thousands to the homeless and other charities. Our government has fallen short in many ways. It’s time for the people to step up. We are finished depending on our government to do right by us. How safe can the banks be keeping you when we are easily able to steal thousands already. You have the benefit of us being the good guys.

We are not afraid of the Police, Secret Service, or the FBI. We are going to show you banks are not safe and take our money back. We are going to hit the true evil while not harming theirs customers and helping others. We are not only starving the banks but are ready to start the attack. We have come to take the 99% ‘s money back. We are not asking permission. 

Let’s see how Banks like paying out money like they made us do. Is it called stealing when one takes what was theirs in the first place? Is it called stealing elections when banks are funneling our millions into paying off congressmen and lobbyists. It’s time for the banks to pay for their crimes and corruption. We are not waiting for our government to step up and take action. It’s time for the banks to pay for not protecting you and only causing harm. But why feel sorry for them while they make us pay every day? Make us over pay for their services? Make us pay all their little charges? Operation Robin Hood urges YOU, to now move your accounts into secure credit unions, before it’s too late while we hit them from the inside. 

We are going to make the banks deliver your money back to you with a smile on their faces and hate in their heart. The only fraud happening has been the actions of the banks frauding the people. It’s time for the banks to do business with Anonymous and TeaMp0isoN. And one of us is not as harsh as all of us. We are looking forward to start doing business with you pigs. 

How loud will you squeal when the same is being done to you? We will avenge every person banks turned down and stolen from. Join us in Operation Robin Hood. Take from the banks and give to the poor. Our actions will be swift. It’s time for the people to rise up and the banks to remember who they work for. It’s time we fight back. It’s time YOU take back your freedom. We are done asking politely.

Banks, you have got the attention of the Hydra of the internet that has grown fangs of poison. 
The only question now, is do they expect us? 

We are p0isAnon
We are Robin Hood
We are Legion
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us.

Operation Robin Hood… fully initiated.

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Legless man denied wheelchair

 

A man from Nyköping in eastern Sweden has been denied a power wheelchair despite having had both of his legs amputated as the local health authority remained "uncertain if the impairment was permanent".

The man had his legs amputated after a long struggle with diabetes, but despite being unable get about, his application for a power wheelchair has been denied.

“I was bitterly disappointed in the local authorities. I don’t feel I got the support I deserve,” Evert Stefansson stated.

Evert Stefansson had struggled with his health for a long time. As a long-suffering diabetic his kidneys have taken a beating, as has his eyesight.

About a year ago, his condition took a turn for the worse when his toe suddenly went black.

He was rushed to hospital where they had no other choice than to amputate his leg. Within a year, they had to take his other leg too.

Since then Evert has experienced some difficulty in getting about.

He might be able to walk short distances again with prosthetic legs, but that will take up to a year, according to his wife Siv.

Siv, also on early retirement due to a bad back, told The Local how she is forced to help her husband with everything and how he remains completely dependent on her.

In order to regain some of his independence, Stefansson applied for a so-called Permobile, a power wheelchair, that he could maneuver himself.

“But I had my suspicions right from the start that it wouldn’t be easy, when the woman from the county visited. She sort of hinted that he could have an ordinary electric wheelchair,” Siv Stefansson said.

The electric wheelchair was less desirable as it would still need a carer operating it, and would therefore not allow Stefansson to get about by himself, without the constant help of his wife.

However, the motivation for the county council’s decision was allegedly that it was “uncertain if the impairment was permanent”, reported local media.

After the couple found out that Evert’s application would be rejected, Siv decided to take the matter into her own hands.

“I got angry. It just isn’t right that he has worked all his life but now can’t do anything that he loves anymore. Not even go fishing,” she stated.

“I decided to contact the papers and the broadcast media. And it was definitely what was needed.”

Through media’s reports, a woman in the nearby area caught wind of the couple’s plight and contacted her brother, who works with permobiles and has previously helped others in the same predicament.

“She told him ‘you better do something about this’ - and he did,” Siv Stefansson said.

Thanks to the woman's initiative, Evert’s new permobile will arrive next week, on loan from the company that manufactures them.

“I am overjoyed! It is by far the best Christmas present we could receive,” Siv Stefansson stated.

 

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iPhone Explodes: Brazil Incident Is Apple's Second In Less Than A Week

 

For the second time in less than a week, an Apple iPhone 4 has reportedly exploded, this time in Brazil, according to Mashable.

The phone, which was plugged in for an overnight charge, suddenly began sparking and emitting smoke while it was just inches from its owner's face.

The owner, Brazilian Ayla Paulo Mota told the Portuguese language blog TechTudo that he was not hurt during the incident, despite his close proximity to the phone.

Editors at The Huffington Post U.K. translated Mota's comments into English:

"At dawn, I woke up seconds before witnessing the burning of my iPhone when I saw a lot of sparks and black smoke out of the cell. My room was full with an unbearable smell of smoke! At that moment, I turned off the power switch in the room to remove the phone from the outlet."

Last week, a similar incident occurred aboard a regional Australian airliner shortly before landing in Sydney. Officials from the airline company Regional Express described the incident as a "mobile phone self combustion" in which an iPhone began to glow red and emit a "significant amount of dense smoke."

Mashable also writes that in 2009 a French teenager claimed to have been hit in the eye with a glass splinter from an exploding iPhone. CBS News reported on the incident in a video which can be seen below.

Responding to the Australian incident, Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison told the the Associated Press that her company was looking forward to "working with the officials investigating this incident."

Apple has yet to issue a response to the latest incident.

WATCH:

 

ALSO SEE

Apple iPhone spontaneously combusts aboard flight in Australia

http://todaysdailypoop.blogspot.com/2011/11/normal-0-microsoftinternetexplorer4_787.html

 

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