British mobile network operators have stressed they do not use a controversial phone monitoring system that may have secretly been installed on millions of handsets.
The software, produced by a US company named Carrier IQ, hit the headlines this week when a security researcher claimed it was being used in a more sinister way than previously revealed.
The software is installed at a root level, meaning its on the handset before it gets to a customer and is difficult to either detect or remove. Officially it's designed to allow networks to get information on which handsets are experiencing particular service problems, allowing them to pinpoint a particular handset, operating system or application as the cause.
A video released this week suggests the software can be used in a more sinister way, with those who install it being able to identify individual handsets and get an almost complete record of every action made on the phone including individual keystrokes.
All major UK networks have said they do not use the software or receive any information from it. Most major manufacturers have said they don't install it as standard and will only do so where requested by a network.
