SAN FRANCISCO – Sprint, which for weeks has defended its use of Carrier IQ software on mobile phones, is now disabling the software, a Sprint spokeswoman told CNET News.Com.
“We have weighed customer concerns and we have disabled use of the tool so that diagnostic information and data is no longer being collected,” spokeswoman Stephanie Vinge-Walsh said in a statement.
“We are further evaluating options regarding this diagnostic software as well as Sprint’s diagnostic needs,” the statement said. “At Sprint, we work hard to earn the trust of our customers and believe this course of action is in the best interest of our business and customers.”
Asked exactly what “disabling” means, Vinge-Walsh said “we are not collecting the diagnostic information.”
The news initially came from Geek.com, which reported earlier today that lawsuits had prompted Sprint to ask its manufacturer partners to “get rid” of Carrier IQ. Geek.com cited sources at HTC.
“Starting with the high-volume and high-profile devices on the network, each of the OEMs has been asked to quickly release binaries that do not contain Carrier IQ so that over-the-air updates can be pushed to those devices as quickly as possible,” Geek.com reported. “The eventual plan is to remove Carrier IQ from all of the devices on Sprint’s network.”
Asked to comment on that report, Vinge-Walsh said: “Regarding your questions about manufacturers and removing the software, those are rumors and speculation and we don’t comment on rumors.”
Vinge-Walsh’s statement reiterated that Sprint uses Carrier IQ for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes, and does not look at the content of messages, e-mails, photos, videos, or keystrokes:
Sprint has not used Carrier IQ diagnostics to profile customers, to serve targeted advertising, or for any purpose not specifically related to certifying that a device is able to operate on our network or to otherwise improve the customer experience or our network operations. We have used Carrier IQ to certify devices prior to launching them on our network and after launch to review device functionality on our network (i.e., to better understand where dropped calls occur, identifying gaps in cell tower coverage, etc.).
Customers can trust that we look at only enough information through the Carrier IQ tool reporting aggregated, anonymized metrics, to understand the customer experience with devices and how we can improve our performance and enhance the customer experience.
Vinge-Walsh said she could not say whether Sprint plans to remove the software entirely from phones.
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