I stopped buying books from Amazon long ago because their Android app is such dogshit. I can’t imagine going to this much trouble to continue giving them money to reward their terrible engineering.
Not including code makes me uninterested in using this knowledge.
I find it puzzling that people are OK with allowing a mammoth, regularly hostile corporation know exactly what books they’re reading as well as the exact details of their reading habits. Everything is accessible to Amazon - when and how often you access a book, how fast you read and when you linger on or return to a page. I wonder when they’ll implement camera-based eye tracking so they know what word you’re on?
The same public libraries that vigorously defend the privacy of our reading lists are simultaneously fine outsourcing all ebook access to Amazon where there’s no expectation of privacy at all. Epubs at those libraries are now so well hidden they’re not even mentioned anymore and access is buried multiple levels deep in the mandatory Libby app.
I love the ease of access and convenience of ebooks, but paper books are becoming more and more appealing by comparison.
The same public libraries that vigorously defend the privacy of our reading lists
The Patriot act allows the feds to get the books you’ve checked out at your local library.
Yep. Good news on that front: libraries I’ve worked at just don’t keep records of what you’ve checked out after you’ve returned it, unless there was some sort of fine or something. Can’t give up data you don’t have and if the library avoids storing the data for anyone then it’s hard to accuse the library of selectively hiding data.
Does “the feds” include Amazon?
I sideload my own books and then turn off the internet on the Kindle. Other than knowing what books I have, are they still able to monitor all those other things?
I ask because I don’t completely understand some of this internet networking stuff. The other day I turned off my router while I was watching a video on YouTube and the video kept playing with no interruption or lag while I thought I had turned off the wifi in my house. I guess we can’t turn it off anymore? Or was it able to keep playing because it was cached?
If the Kindle never has Internet access (and that includes access through another app) Amazon should not be able to connect at all, but even if your books are from a public library Amazon will still be provided a record of them.
From one library’s site: “…we want you to know that when you check out a Kindle eBook you must use your Amazon account. At that point we no longer have control over protecting your records associated with this transaction. At the very least, Amazon may use this information to recommend other items for purchase to you, as is the case with any purchases you make through the site.”
YouTube buffers content and your device may have already downloaded the entire file, but if it’s a phone it would just switch to the mobile network.
Sometimes I think I’m too paranoid about this stuff and the next day they’ll be another headline about corporate abuse of “protected” consumer data or yet another breach. Remember Facebook’s years long access of protected medical records through a tracking tool installed on a third of medical websites? I’m probably not paranoid enough.
Timestamps on activities you take can be combined with other data points to figure out things like your location, what people are nearby you, and what you are doing at that moment. These data points are created frequently and can be reviewed actively or retroactively.
That data is collected and sold by data brokers, who then sell it to law enforcement and government, as well as advertisers and other companies.
AI is very good at finding patterns in data points, and is accelerating the usability of all this data thats been collected.
I simply don’t like the idea of being targeted or used, so ive tried to minimize data collection. I have a custom ROM on my phone and have linux on my computers. I dont have accounts with companies I dont trust. Sometimes if I have to make an account anyways, I’ll use fake information and a vpn.
Amazon can’t see shit that me and mine read, but that’s cuz I liberated my Kindle books and now read/listen to all of my Kindle/audible books through audiobookshelf.
So glad I made that jump a few years ago
We need a better solution than a script reliant on a megacorpo service
This needs to be an open source script! I would love to use it to actually own my purchased books.
They’ll modify it soon enough. Amazon will respond to only one thing - everyone stops buying ebooks from Amazon.
Understood, but I “purchased” books over the years I’d like to keep as mine.
many ebooks from Amazon are drm free you can just download and pull them. or just pirate them and not worry about it
I second this. You bought it. Somewhere, somehow. Amazon doing a rug pull under you is their fault, not yours. Go pirate without any guilt.
Just buy ebooks from sites that don’t fucking you over in the future. If you already have a kindle its annoying but pocketbooks and other eReaders are right there.
Or send money straight to the author and pirate the book
Or just pirate the book. Anyone who makes their work only available by giving an evil, corrupt corporation money can go fuck themselves.
Actually, scratch that, send them an email from a burner account that can’t be linked to you telling them you pirated their book, and why, with absolutely no money. Just a massive fuck you :)
You ok there fella?
No, not really. One of my greatest joys is dominated by a megacorp and everyone is just fine with it.
Cool, but don’t support Amazon at all.
Not all hero’s wear capes.
