I recently ran across this post on XDA developers, even though it's about 7 months old.....basically, it tells about a really wicked big-brother rootkit app that HTC and Samsung are shipping on their phones, as well as Sprint having it installed on their Android phones.
In-depth analysis:
http://www.xda-developers.com/androi...-all-evil-ciq/
Basics:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...89&postcount=3
More in-depth analysis:
http://androidsecuritytest.com/featu...ers/carrieriq/
CiQ's response to the testing:
http://androidsecuritytest.com/
The good thing about this app is that it is shipped w/logging off, but if it were ever turned on, you'd be hard-pressed to know it. The best solution is to remove it. Root your phone and install a custom ROM, making sure the developer has removed CiQ.
Knowledge is power, folks. Arm yourselves.