Illegal Wiretapping

Claims of illegal wiretapping charges were file recently against software vendors, phone handset manufacturers and phone service carriers following troubling allegations that the companies have been engaging in the secret monitoring of millions of people's cell phones; that is, illegal wiretapping. On Dec. 2, 2011 three separate lawsuits were filed against these various parties, accusing them of intercepting and collecting data and recordings from private phones.

The defendants include:

Apple
AT&T
Carrier IQ
HTC
Motorola
Samsung
Sprint
T-Mobile

Individual and Class Action Lawsuits

In the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, a lawsuit against software vendor Carrier IQ and cell phone manufacturers HTC and Samsung alleges that these companies violated both the Federal Wiretap Act and California's Unfair Business Practice Act.

In federal court in Delaware, a lawsuit was initiated asserting that HTC, Samsung and other cell phone makers Motorola and Apple, plus cell phone service providers AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile violated the Federal Wiretap Act, the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Stored Electronic Communications Act.

In the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, another lawsuit was filed against Carrier IQ and HTC.

Tracking Your Every Keystroke

Carrier IQ makes software that tracks text messages received and sent, phone numbers dialed, and every keystroke made by the phone's user. The software is embedded in over 140 million phones, according to Carrier IQ.

The explosive revelations that began the turmoil over this clandestine monitoring of private phone usage were apparently kicked off when a 25-year-old software systems administrator in Connecticut posted a video and publicly available Carrier IQ documentation about their software, which is used in the phones made by the above-mentioned companies, plus:

Android phones
Blackberries
Nokias
Tablet devices

Although Carrier IQ and the service and handset manufacturers' first response to allegations of illegal wiretapping is essentially that the software is embedded "to help us understand our phone users' experience," many people are appalled at the idea that someone is collecting and viewing so much private information, without the users' permission or knowledge. Further concerns have been raised regarding who, exactly, has access to the information; the government and law enforcement entities come to mind.

Learn More about Illegal Wiretapping

If you have concerns about your cell phone as a target of illegal wiretapping, you can learn more about the legal process and your right to privacy. Contact us to speak with an illegal wiretapping attorney in your area.

Criminal Law Breaking News

"Phone Companies Accused of Installing Secret Tracking Software"

Lawsuits against Carrier IQ (CIQ), HTC America and Samsung are stacking up, claiming that the defendant companies unlawfully intercepted and collected personal messages from millions of private mobile phones, handsets and smartphones.

So far, t...

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