Amazon Spying On Your Ebook Highlighting

[Dave Farber <dfarber () me com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
> Date: May 11, 2010 7:51:55 PM EDT
> To: List Infowarrior <infowarrior () attrition org>
> Cc: Farber Dave <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Amazon Spying On Your Ebook Highlighting

> Amazon Spying On Your Ebook Highlighting
>
> http://techdirt.com/articles/20100511/1018059377.shtml
>
> There have already been plenty of questions over who "owns" the ebooks you've bought, with stories of remotely 
> deactivated books and remotely deactivated features -- neither of which happens when you have a real physical book. 
> But there are also other concerns opened up by newly activated features. Apparently one new feature -- sent in by a 
> few concerned readers -- is that Amazon will now remotely upload and store the user notes and highlights you take on 
> your Kindle, which it then compiles into "popular highlights." 
>
> I have no doubt that the feature provides some interesting data, but it's not clear that users realize their 
> highlighting and notes are being stored and used that way. Amazon basically says there's no big privacy deal here, 
> because the data is always aggregated. But it sounds like many users don't realize this is happening at all. Amazon 
> says people can find out they added this feature by reading "forum posts and help pages" -- but it's not clear how 
> many people actually do read those  things. While I'm sure many people are fine with this, others might not be. And 
> it once again highlights a key concern in that the "features" of your "book" can change over time. Your highlighting 
> may have been yours in the past, but suddenly it becomes Amazon's with little notice.



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