Re: Kindle 2.0

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Thomas Lord <lord () emf net>
Date: February 11, 2009 5:19:02 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>, krulwich () yahoo com, lauren () vortex com,  
peterb <peterb () fsf org>, Nick Carr <ncarr () mac com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Re:  Kindle 2.0

For IP if you forward it there.

On Wed, 2009-02-11 at 07:09 -0500, David Farber wrote:
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Krulwich <krulwich () yahoo com>
> Date: February 11, 2009 4:40:42 AM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] Re:   Kindle 2.0
> Reply-To: krulwich () yahoo com

> I think that Amazon and Sprint should be congratulated and commended
> for moving to a model of network access being free as subsidized by
> service.  There are always kinks to work out on a new approach, and
> such kinks need to be met with respect and suggestions and not
> derision.

You should read Stallman's "Right to Read" essay.

Let's at least understand the play being made
by several different major players here:

The full circuit being sold as Kindle but also represented
by many other examples is:

1) A limited-purpose device designed to be a substitute
for (many uses of) a general purpose computer.  Users
are not free technically or legally to fully reprogram
this device.

2) Restrictions (technological and legal) that prevent
users from inspecting, modifying or replacing the software
on this device.   Users can not remove annoying limitations
imposed by the software and they can not discover if they
are being surveilled.

3) Network connectivity not sold as but intended to
substitute for (many uses of) a general purpose network
connection.   The network neutrality debate, whichever
side you are on, is mooted if people access the net
mainly through contracts like Kindle's.

4) Tying, by technical and legal means, of the user's
network access to a particular ISP and to higher level
network services.   All traffic will go through
deep packet inspection for any purpose the vendor chooses -
or at least the vendor and his partners are taking pains
to ensure that option.

5) Application of this degree of control over users
to restrict a user's freedoms to access content, share
content, copy content, etc.   Restrictions upon users
in the form of surveillance.

6) Legal tying of certain cultural content to this
resulting "network" so that the propagation of works
can be surveilled and controlled.   The only legal way
to distribute some works will be over one of these
private overlay networks, to authorized devices.

7) Increasing redefining of cultural works (music recordings,
"books", etc.) to (allegedly) "add value" by tying
consumption to concurrent network access to specialized
services (e.g., downloading and displaying song lyrics as
a song plays).   The purpose being to force user's to
consume by subscription, rather than purchase, and to
increase the opportunities to surveille users.

Add a few additional features to a Kindle and, as far as
most users are concerned, it will have all the practical
benefits of a tablet computer or notebook computer.  It isn't
hard to imagine a product in just a few more years with all
of the restrictions of user freedom that the Kindle has - but
that is offered up to people as a complete substitute for a
personal computer.

It's a perfect storm of an attack on user freedom: telecom,
media companies, device manufacturers, anti-software-freedom
types, and the more shadowy types of anti-privacy folks all
aligned in their interest in this circuit of control that devices
and contracts like this represent.  And these shackles
practically sell themselves to people eager to try them on
because of the "gee-whiz" factor of a fancy display and
technically competent interface.

In his somewhat famous essay, Richard Stallman predicted this
around 1997.   The essay was amended in 2007:

"The Right to Read" - Richard M. Stallman
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html

He's a smart guy.

-t






-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com