Just two weeks, practically nobody knew what Carrier IQ was, but thanks to a viral YouTube video showing evidence that the company's software was logging keystrokes, a growing list of federal agencies are opening investigations. "Executives from Carrier IQ traveled to Washington Tuesday and met with officials at the Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for protecting consumers and enforcing privacy laws," The Washington Post's Sari Horwitz reported on Wednesday afternoon. "The executives also met with the Federal Communications Commission." Carrier IQ is shying away from the assumption that these meetings will lead to probes -- "Investigation is the wrong word here," the company's spokesperson told VentureBeat after Horwitz's report hit the web. 

Nevertheless, the heat is on. Carrier IQ's fielded questions about its data collection practices from Senator Al Franken, and an investigation in Europe seems imminent . Suspicions that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been secretly using Carrier IQ data for criminal investigations persists, as even F.B.I. director Robert Mueller said he couldn't rule out the possibility that his agency used data provided by the company. The company starkly denied that claim in a statement provided to The Atlantic Wire on Tuesday. Fortunately for consumers, Carrier IQ says that the smartphone spying allegations are greatly exaggerrated. "We are complying with all investigations at this time as we have nothing to hide," said Mira Woods of Carrier IQ’s marketing communications department. "We have been completely transparent through this process."

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Adam Clark Estes