Google does not work with nor does it support Carrier IQ, the software maker which has been accused of violating mobile phone users' privacy rights, Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said on Thursday. "Android is an open platform, so it's possible for people to build software that's actually not very good for you, and this appears to be one, Schmidt said. "It's a key-logger, and it actually does keep your keystrokes, and we certainly don't work with them and we certainly don't support it," he told an Internet freedom conference in the Dutch city of The Hague.

Carrier IQ's software is installed on mobile devices from AT&T, Sprint Nextel and transmits data that Carrier IQ says allows mobile operators to better understand their devices and networks. However, reports indicated that the IQ software also collects and transmits potentially sensitive data about phone users.

Videos appeared on Youtube showing Android-powered HTC smartphones runing the Carrier IQ software.