Schadenfreude - Darrell Issa's Car Alarm Company Is Doomed

The convergence of automobiles and smart phone technology spells the end of the line for high end car alarm companies like Viper.

I was recommending a phone tracking/recovery app, AntiDT (Anti Droid Theft) to a friend on Facebook and I had an interesting thought. With smart phone technology being integrated into cars, and powerful free tracking/recovery apps like AntiDT available for both Android and iOS, there's no point in expensive car alarm systems like a Viper any more. This video shows what AntiDT can do...

Your smart phone equipped car will call your cell phone, text you and email you if it's stolen. You'll be able to track your car on your phone or computer in real time using GPS and cell tower data. Not only will you be able to remotely shut down your car, you'll be able to take a picture of the thief and even lock him in. With the exact location, the cops will be there in minutes. All for free.

Gosh, that's sure going to be tough on high end alarm makers like Viper. Probably drive 'em right out of business. What a shame. If I sound facetious, it's because the company that makes Viper alarms was founded by and is still owned by none other than wingnut PITA extraoridinaire Rep. Darrell Issa, R-CA, chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee and source of endless BS investigations based on every wacky wingnut conspiracy theory poutrage du jour.

Jeez, that's tough, Darrell. Bad luck. My heart's pumpin' pisswater for ya...

Update: A friend brought up a good point I didn't address in the post...

"There's a lot to be said for an alarm blaring to dissuade a thief who just smashed in your window to not be too thorough when rifling through your car looking for stuff to take."

Very true, but it's a virtual certainty that a new car equipped with smart phone technology will also have at least a basic, very loud, alarm. Combined with smart phone tech, this is still enough to seriously impact Viper's business. Sure, they can still sell alarms for older cars, but their bread and butter market - expensive new cars - goes away. I doubt they can survive on legacy cars only.

More On CarrierIQ - Android Users Covered, Others SOL

More details have come out about CarrierIQ, a hidden app on smart phones that tracks user data, since our original story. The short of it is Android users now have more than a dozen options to detect and remove CarrierIQ from their mobile devices. Other mobile device users, including Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Apple users, iPhone, iPad, etc., are out of luck. Mostly. Apple users cannot remove CarrierIQ, but they can block it. Maybe.

This isn't an Android rocks, Apple sucks post. The iPhone is lovely little piece of technology, if no longer cutting edge. However, the CarrierIQ issue highlights the disadvanteges of completely closed operating systems like iOS compred to open operating systems like Android. In just a week developers have added more than a dozen new apps to the Android Market that detect and remove CarrierIQ while iOS users are still waiting for Apple to do something, anything.

From BetaNews...

Android users can detect Carrier IQ, everyone else is out of luck

Android users have a multitude of options in order to detect whether Carrier IQ exists on their smartphones, with at least a dozen applications available through the Android Market.
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BetaNews tested out two of the available options -- BitDefender's Carrier IQ Finder and Lookout Labs' Carrier IQ Detector. The tests were performed on a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket running Android 2.3.6 on AT&T's network, and both found Carrier IQ present but didn't indicate whether or not it was active.
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We also spotted a few apps that claim to freeze the process that runs Carrier IQ's hidden application. These include Trey Holland's Bloat/CIQ Freezer Free and RDMSoft's Carrier IQ Process Killer. Without more extensive tests, we can't independently verify these actually work as advertised, but customer reviews are generally positive.

These various apps may or may not be 100% effective at detecting CarrierIQ. We haven't had a chance to test them. But the instructions we posted last week are 100% effective, at least for Android users.

While iOS users are waiting for a fix that may nver come, they can at least disable CarrierIQ, though it appears they have to do it every time they boot their mobile devices. Details from LifeHacker...

Carrier IQ has made quite a stir with its ability to track everything you do on your Android phone, and it turns out that it comes preinstalled on the iPhone as well
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Luckily, there's an easy way to turn it off. Just head to Settings > General > About > Diagnostics and Usage, and tap "Don't Send". That's it! We've also updated our original post on Carrier IQ to include this new information. If you're curious about the more technical bits of this discovery, hit the link below.

Carrier IQ Is on iOS | Chpwn

CarrierIQ may or may not be as bad as some of the more sensational stories have claimed, but either way, who wants it? Blackberry and Windows Mobile users, you're still SOL...

Don't Panic! - What Android Users Need To Know About CarrierIQ

12/08 UPDATE: More on this story here...

CarrierIQ, a hidden root app that secretly logs user activity on 150 million mobile devices, is a serious privacy and security threat. But it's a threat Android users can easily eliminate. The short version is CIQ tracks pretty much all user activity - location, searches, even individual kestrokes - then secretly sends the data bact to CarrierIQ servers. Very creepy. But don't panic.

Apple fanatics have reacted with smug glee to the news of a serious privacy issue that doesn't affect iPhone users, saying CIQ is a much more serious security issue than the iPhone's hidden logging and tracking app, exposed earlier this year. Maybe so, but not so fast, Mac fans. While you can only ask Apple to correct security threats, bugs and other issues, then wait, hope they do and hope they get it right sooner or later, Android users have total control of their own devices and can easily eliminate security threats like CIQ on their own. So there.

The first thing to know is CIQ is not on all Android devices, as breathless tech media panic articles have claimed, nor is it on all AT&T devices. For example, it's not on my Nexus S running Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on the AT&T network. Before you wrap your head in tin foil and hide under your desk, check to see if CIQ is actually installed on your Android device.

While CIQ won't show up under running applications, most root level system processes don't, if it is installed on your device it will show up in the list of all applications as "IQRD". If you don't see it, it's not there. For those who want to be extra sure, use a 2nd party management app, Norton Mobile Utilities, for example, where you can see every process, including system processes, running on your phone. If there's no "IQRD" running, there's nothing to worry about. CarrierIQ is not installed on your Android device.

If you do find "IQRD," there's still no reason to panic. You can fix this all on your own. One of the most brilliant features of Android devices is because the Android OS is based on open source technology, unlike the entirely closed, proprietary iPhone OS, for example, users have a great deal of control over how their device works, even to the point of being able to load custom Android operating systems.

There are currently 2 ways to remove CIQ from Android devices. Neither is 1 step simple, but both are well within reach for most users. The details may vary slightly from device to device, but the basics are the same for all Android devices.

First, you'll need to "root" your phone, which basically gives you the equivalent of "administrator" permissions on your Android device. This will allow you to access and control all of the processes on your device, including system and root level processes. You can find instructions for rooting your phone here...

After you've rooted your phone, method 1 for removing CarrierIQ is to download and install "Logging Test App v7" from Android developer Trevor Eckhart, the guy who first discovered CarrierIQ. You'll also need "Logging TestApp Pro" - 99 cents at the Android store - which will automatically install the drivers required to unlock the advanced debugging, cleanup and removal features for the Android OS.

Now, open Logging Test App v7. Hit the "menu" button. Select "CIQ" and hit "Remove CIQ".

That's it. Problem solved. You're good to go. No more CarrierIQ. Now, wasn't that easy?

The second method is recommended for advanced users only, as it is much more complicated and involves replacing your entire Android operating system.

Not only can Android users control pretty much everything in the Google Android OS, unlike iPhone users, because Android is based on open source software, you can actually replace the entire operating system with one of the many customized operating systems available for Android, all of them free. These modifications, or mods, are known are called ROM's.

I've played around with a few ROM mods for Android. The one I like best is Cyanogen(mod). Not only does it completely eliminate all hidden root apps, including CIQ, it gives the users some very groovy functions not found in the Google Android OS. For example, you get a very good DSP graphic equalizer for music playback, secure "Incognito Mode" Web browsing, true "Touch to Focus" for your camera and all sorts of options for skins and themes to customize the look and feel up your Android device.

A few caveats. Because Cyanogen(mod), like most other OS ROM's, is highly customized and optimized, it could possibly push your device harder than the original Google OS. This may slow down low powered devices and may decrease battery life. To avoid these issues, make sure you check the list of supported devices for the ROM you choose before installation. Another thing to keep in mind is installing a custom ROM is very likely to void your warranty, though most warranties are only 90 days, anyway.

Before you take the plunge and replace your OS, I suggest you thoroughly read through the instructions. You're changing firmware. Take it step by step and make sure you backup everything before you even think about altering your OS. Cyanogen(mod) maintains a very helpful Wiki with detailed backup and installation instructions and answers to any questions you may have. Other ROM providers provide similar information.

The bottom line is, as usual, the best way to deal with new, super evil technology threats is, in the immortal words of  Douglas Adams, don't panic.