Google's Schmidt: Carrier IQ Is Unacceptable Keylogger

Carrier IQ has been in the headlines in a very bad way over recent weeks. The company makes software that tracks the usage of users on smartphones and logs keystrokes. The software is the center of wiretapping suits and the FTC has been called on to investigate the company. Google's Eric Schmidt was on hand at a conference on internet freedom that the search giant was hosting and spoke about condemning Carrier IQ.

According to Schmidt, the open nature of Android is being taken advantage of by Carrier IQ. He states that when a platform is open people can make software that is not good for users. Schmidt said, "Android is an open platform which means people can makes software for it that's not very good for you." Schmidt also said that with the open nature of Android there was nothing Google could have done to prevent Carrier IQ from getting information from Android users.

Schmidt was also very specific in that Google doesn't work with Carrier IQ. He went so far as to call Carrier IQ an unacceptable keylogger. Carrier IQ software is at work on more than a hundred million handsets around the world and removal of the software means a complete wipe of the device by the user. Carrier IQ is currently under investigation by European regulators.

[via Telegraph]