MAJOR Australian mobile phone companies have reassured customers they are not using a hidden smartphone app which reportedly secretly tracks users' keystrokes and sends all the data back to telcos.

A US security analyst claimed this week mobile companies in the US were using the secret software to log text messages, emails, searches, phone numbers and user location - and report it to the mobile phone company.

Video: YouTube / LukeEckhart



Connecticut systems analysts Trevor Eckhart demonstrated how users were helpless to prevent their privacy being violated in a 17-minute YouTube video about the software, called Carrier IQ.

According to some reports the software could be on millions of Android, Nokia, HTC and BlackBerry handsets.

But major Australian service providers Telstra, Optus and Virgin Mobile told news.com.au today their customers’ data was safe.

“Telstra respects the privacy of its customers as a key priority,” a Telstra spokesperson said.

“We do not track customers’ phone usage other than for the purposes of connecting a call or billing for services.”

“Optus does not use Carrier IQ software in our network,” said an Optus spokesperson.

“Virgin Mobile is not a customer of Carrier IQ and Virgin Mobile has not been receiving mobile phone user information via the software that runs on Android operating systems,” said a Virgin spokesperson.

Carrier IQ has denied storing specific information, saying their software was a “diagnostic tool” designed to improve phone performance.

The company tried to have Eckhart’s video taken down but was forced to apologise after it was issued a cease and desist letter by the Electronics Frontiers Foundation stating the video was protected by fair-use provisions in the Copyright Act.

The company is adamant the software does not record keystrokes, provide tracking data or record "the content of emails and SMSes” - though the video demonstration appears to show otherwise.



Vodafone did not respond to requests for comment.

Judge for yourself - watch the video above.