Trevor Eckhart, a Torrington security researcher, has set off a firestorm over his allegations that a diagnostic software company, CarrierIQ, is capturing the content of text messages and other personally identifiable information on hundreds of millions of mobile phones running the Google Android operating system.

Eckhart alleged that the Carrier IQ software is often enabled by default on many phones, running as a “rootkit” that does not show up on a list of active tasks running on the device.  Further, he showed that the software has the potential to transmit personally identifiable information back to carriers and/or manufacturers, including text messages, location data, and URLs of websites visited.

Eckhart’s findings raised concerns that the data collected could be linked to specific users should carriers choose to collect information in that manner.  Additionally, Eckhart discovered the software has the ability to log individual keystrokes and that it could capture private data sent to secure websites prior to the information being encrypted and transmitted.

Click here to continue reading Lon’s report.

Lon Seidman is the host and producer of “Lon.TV,” a consumer technology video show that is on a number of platforms including YouTube and Amazon. He creates in-depth, consumer-friendly product reviews and commentary. His YouTube channel has over 300,000 subscribers and more than 100 million views.

In addition to being a full-time content creator, Lon is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hartford (his alma mater) where he teaches a course in entrepreneurial content creation.

Prior to becoming a full-time creator, Lon was a partner at The Safety Zone, his family’s business that manufactures gloves and safety equipment. The company has locations around the globe and employs over 200 people worldwide. The Safety Zone was acquired by the Genuine Parts Corporation in 2016.

Lon is also active in public service, serving as the Chairman of the Essex Board of Education, a member of the Region 4 Board of Education, and as the Secretary / Treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. He was endorsed by both Democrats and Republicans for his re-election in 2021.

The views, opinions, positions, or strategies expressed by the author are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of CTNewsJunkie.com.