Can you be banned for sideloading content?

OrangeMango · 11-17-2020, 12:38 AM

I have heaps of archived fanfiction and it's only recently dawned on me the fact I can shove it into my kindle and read it anywhere. Some amount of it is invariably too edgy for the kindle store, but I don't want to have to dig through every fic before I upload it to my kindle for reading.

Do I need to worry about this or is it fine?

DNSB · 11-17-2020, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrangeMango

I have heaps of archived fanfiction and it's only recently dawned on me the fact I can shove it into my kindle and read it anywhere. Some amount of it is invariably too edgy for the kindle store, but I don't want to have to dig through every fic before I upload it to my kindle for reading.

Do I need to worry about this or is it fine?

I wouldn't worry about it. So far I haven't heard of anyone who has pirated material on their Kindles getting a call from Amazon though they were using email to get the books to their Kindles. Perhaps a can of worms regarding privacy that Amazon does not want to open.

OrangeMango · 11-17-2020, 12:54 AM

So I'll hazard the guess that they won't check for content of side-loaded files either if they're not banning anyone for that?

ownedbycats · 11-17-2020, 12:59 AM

If they did, do you think anyone on these forums would even use a Kindle?

pdurrant · 11-17-2020, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrangeMango

I have heaps of archived fanfiction and it's only recently dawned on me the fact I can shove it into my kindle and read it anywhere. Some amount of it is invariably too edgy for the kindle store, but I don't want to have to dig through every fic before I upload it to my kindle for reading.

Do I need to worry about this or is it fine?

It's fine. While theoretically possible, I can't imagine Amazon even checking documents sent by email, let alone side-loaded ones.

Sirtel · 11-17-2020, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

I wouldn't worry about it. So far I haven't heard of anyone who has pirated material on their Kindles getting a call from Amazon though they were using email to get the books to their Kindles. Perhaps a can of worms regarding privacy that Amazon does not want to open.

How would Amazon even know a book has been pirated? It might just have been bought somewhere else. Unless the book is a scanned PDF and even then it's not certain.

Amazon advertises the ability of Kindles to read and sync sideloaded content. If they suddenly started to ban users for doing it, there would be a major hullabaloo.

ownedbycats · 11-17-2020, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

How would Amazon even know a book has been pirated? It might just have been bought somewhere else. Unless the book is a scanned PDF and even then it's not certain.

Social DRM I think it's called. Essentially watermarking the files in a way that they can be traced back to the person who bought it.

Sirtel · 11-17-2020, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Social DRM I think it's called. Essentially watermarking the files in a way that they can be traced back to the person who bought it.

Then why is no one using this method to track the pirates? Too much bother? We all know piracy is pretty widespread and I haven't heard of anyone being caught that way.

Quoth · 11-17-2020, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

If they did, do you think anyone on these forums would even use a Kindle?

It would kill Kindle Sales if Amazon was found to be monitoring what you install on one that is content you didn't buy from them.

About 99% of my Kindle content isn't from Amazon. None is pirated.

Quoth · 11-17-2020, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Then why is no one using this method to track the pirates? Too much bother? We all know piracy is pretty widespread and I haven't heard of anyone being caught that way.

Because it's really hard to do on ebooks that it can't easily be defeated. It's done to video, though it has zero impact on industrial pirates.

Indeed traditionally maps and dictionaries on paper were reputed to have deliberate errors to highlight piracy. Most piracy then was done by other publishers from 19th C till 20th C., Dickens to Tolkien. Now piracy is on an industrial scale by gangs in USA, Russia and Asia. Individuals are not the major pirates today and never were.

ownedbycats · 11-17-2020, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

Indeed traditionally maps and dictionaries on paper were reputed to have deliberate errors to highlight piracy.

Trap streets.

Tarana · 11-17-2020, 04:15 PM

Amazon doesn't care. They would have to prove that you don't own the content. That takes from profits.

DuskyRose · 11-18-2020, 08:15 PM

I had a kindle until a few months ago, and sideloaded fanfic for years and years. No problems.

db105 · 11-24-2020, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

It would kill Kindle Sales if Amazon was found to be monitoring

I wouldn't be so sure of that. It would be very bad publicity, but it's surprising the amount of abuses customers will put up with in the name of convenience. After all, it didn't kill sales when Amazon deleted books purchased from them from users' Kindle devices: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/t.../18amazon.html

Having said that, I agree it's safe to sideload your own content to your kindle. Even if you connect your Kindle to the internet, Amazon has zero interest in monitoring what you upload to it. Doing that on a wide scale would require huge resources to investigate the origin of the content, with no benefit for Amazon. In fact, negative benefit, since the negative publicity would be huge.

JSWolf · 11-24-2020, 08:00 AM

If side loading wasn't allowed, it would not be possible to do so.

11-17-2020, 12:38 AM	#1
OrangeMango Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2020 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Can you be banned for sideloading content? I have heaps of archived fanfiction and it's only recently dawned on me the fact I can shove it into my kindle and read it anywhere. Some amount of it is invariably too edgy for the kindle store, but I don't want to have to dig through every fic before I upload it to my kindle for reading. Do I need to worry about this or is it fine?

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11-17-2020, 12:54 AM	#3
OrangeMango Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2020 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	So I'll hazard the guess that they won't check for content of side-loaded files either if they're not banning anyone for that?

11-17-2020, 12:59 AM	#4
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,919 Karma: 74203799 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	If they did, do you think anyone on these forums would even use a Kindle?

11-17-2020, 04:15 PM	#12
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,038 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	Amazon doesn't care. They would have to prove that you don't own the content. That takes from profits.

11-18-2020, 08:15 PM	#13
DuskyRose Guru Posts: 753 Karma: 9209502 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Virginia Device: Boox Note Air3, Palma, K-Scribe, Eclipsa 2e, & Libra 2, Ipads	I had a kindle until a few months ago, and sideloaded fanfic for years and years. No problems.

11-24-2020, 08:00 AM	#15
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,665 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	If side loading wasn't allowed, it would not be possible to do so.

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