@
iprivacy - try defining a firewall rule that prevents calibre from calling home, here's how to do on Windows ==>>
How to stop an application from phoning home? - should work, I sometimes use calibre unplugged.
You have the liberty not to use calibre. You also have the liberty to download the source, exorcise the code that bothers you, and run the application from that code. The exercise of those liberties won't cost you a brass razoo. Nor would you have inform anyone you had exercised your liberties - providing you abide by the conditions of the GPL V2 license.
Perhaps if you had not impugned Kovid Goyal's character he might have even told you where the relevant lines of code are located. But given your possibly libellous opening post he might be minded to sue you instead.
BR