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As I posted earlier, privacy is pretty well totally dead with e-readers, and has probably been more an illusion right from the start. In my earlier post I linked to an article containing a chart compiled by the EFF answering some simple privacy questions. We know that some particular data is collected. But it is disturbing that we don't know exactly what is being collected. For example, Amazon can clearly monitor what you are reading and how you are reading it after purchase. Quite frankly, a reader who doesn't know this is not paying attention or perhaps just wants to read a book and doesn't care. Personally I don't object to this. If I did I could opt out by the simple means of not ever connecting my Paperwhite to the net. Amazon is mostly using the data to improve the experience of readers, including recommending books and administering KU. However, it is unclear to what extent Amazon monitors sideloaded books. This is something I would like to know. I may or may not object to it at the end of the day, but any benefit to me in this second case is far less clear. For the moment, though I would like to know more, I am trusting Amazon not to misuse the information. According to the EFF chart, Amazon does not share any information with 3rd parties except for Law Enforcement or Civil Litigants. This is regrettable but unavoidable, since even Amazon is subject to the criminal law and the powers of the Court.
Things are what they are. We must live with them or take extreme precautions if sufficiently paranoid. But we should also be vigilant in relation to further intrusions which may be totally unacceptable.
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