Is your ebook reader reading up on you?

[lilac_jive]

I heard this on NPR on my way home, pretty interesting.

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/15/132058...ding-up-on-you

I don't know why this doesn't bother me all that much, maybe because it's useful data). Thoughts?

[desertgrandma]

If the wifi is off, nothing can be tracked, correct?

How could they possible know when you turn pages, skip, etc if there is no 'feed' going back and forth?

[Fastolfe]

What we do in life is tracked enough as it is, I'd rather my ebook reader doesn't help marketers gather up more data on me. Thus, I chose my Sony Reader partly because it can't phone home by design. Not saying the Kindle or other WiFi-enabled ebook readers necessarily do, but with the Sony Reader, I'm certain it doesn't. I paid more for it because, to me, not having a WiFi-enabled reader was an added feature.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

If the wifi is off, nothing can be tracked, correct?

How could they possible know when you turn pages, skip, etc if there is no 'feed' going back and forth?

If you turn it back on, maybe it has cookies and can still send the info?

[JeremyR]

Hmmm, what I found interesting is what Google admitted to:

But Google actually stores more pages than that behind the scenes for what it calls "security monitoring" — to prevent the "abusive sharing" of books. A Google representative says these page views may be stored with a user's account for "several weeks" before being erased.

[Ken Maltby]

Besides making me even more happy with my Ectaco Jetbook purchase, and the fact that
I read my ebooks off an SD card, it makes me wonder about DRM with a "phone home"
component. What if your "illegal to remove" DMA were routinely contacting, say.. the
Evil Adobe Empire's computers? Just a thought.

Luck;
Ken

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Hmmm, what I found interesting is what Google admitted to:

Quote:
But Google actually stores more pages than that behind the scenes for what it calls "security monitoring" — to prevent the "abusive sharing" of books. A Google representative says these page views may be stored with a user's account for "several weeks" before being erased

Yes, only GOOGLE can share those books without the authors' permission!

[Andrew H.]

It's an interesting topic, although it kind of waffles on key points. I.e.:

"And many in the publishing business believe the company [Amazon] has built a vast database about the reading public, using information from the online store and reading data from the Kindle."

It's certainly true that Amazon has a database of people who buy their books. But the article doesn't state that Amazon tracks page turns - just that some people believe that they do. Surely someone ought to be able to find out for sure.

[elcreative]

Wow, paranoia is really catching on the Internet... but nobody on MobileRead is doing or would even think of doing anything illegal so no real problem, after all we all shop in supermarkets and use credit/loyalty cards which allow them to track your purchases and target you with special offers tailored to your buying habits... No, wait we're going green and eco-friendly so we don't shop in massive chains any more, do we?


Or maybe it's all part of Amazon's plan... and when they have enough information on all the jolly Kindle users then they'll blackmail you all into supporting their "secret" plan for world domination

[CWatkinsNash]

From Amazon:

Information Received. The Device Software will provide Amazon with data about your Device and its interaction with the Service (such as available memory, up-time, log files and signal strength) and information related to the content on your Device and your use of it (such as automatic bookmarking of the last page read and content deletions from the Device). Annotations, bookmarks, notes, highlights, or similar markings you make in your Device are backed up through the Service. Information we receive is subject to the Amazon.com Privacy Notice.

The use of "such as" leaves it pretty open to collect whatever they want. Of course, I knew all of this before buying my Kindle. I'm not thrilled but it's kind of the way things are with a lot of services these days, and I have the option to disable the wireless to keep it from phoning home. However, the web browser was part of the attraction and I enjoy playing with it so I doubt I'll have it off all the time.

Heck, they already track my searching, buying and browsing on their site, and if anyone's actually looking at that data on an individual level, they're having a field day with my data.

[Kali Yuga]

So.

Your cell phone tracks every tower you contact. Your GPS in your cell phone tracks your movements. Facebook Places and Foursquare know where you are.

Your browser plants cookies that it uses to track your activity. Your email is as secure as a postcard. Your credit card company knows every CC purchase, your bank knows your debit transactions, checks, and ATM locations. Your phone company keeps records of every call you make and receive.

They aren't getting all that much more data on you with ebooks than they did when you bought books online, or used a rewards card. Everyone is already mining the daylights out of that data, and have for years.

At this point, if you really don't want anyone to track your activities, I recommend you throw out your computer, lose your cell phone, cancel your land line, ditch your ATM card, chop up your credit cards, and deal only in cash.

[FF2]

"(such as available memory, up-time, log files"

And LOG FILES could contain, what? Every click, page turn, page back, and every item on the device. I gather the log file is hidden in that OTHER FOLDER, not the ones we see when we connect the usb.

And if a book of 1,000 pages can download in mere seconds, they could send just a much info back HOME in mere seconds when/if you finally turn on wifi or 3g. They don't have to send continuously.

[Piper_]

In general, I think there is a middle ground between being so paranoid as to go totally off the grid vs. submitting quietly to every intrusion just because some intrusiveness can't be avoided.

First, I think it is important for us to be educated in what exactly we are giving out, so we can make intelligent, informed decisions after we've weighed the risks vs benefits.

Second, I don't mind things like the records my bank, cc, or phone company keep, because they are necessary.

But other things are not so necessary. Those, I avoid.

For example, I don't put anything other than the bare basics on Facebook, nor use insecure email for sensitive communications. Like many others, I use passwords on my wireless and employ commonly available and used methods to prevent cookie tracking by places I don't want tracking me. I block ad sites and others with the Microsoft MVP hosts file.

I know it's fun to laugh at tinfoilers - they are over the top. But people taking an interest in and seeking to be in control of just what personal information they are leaking to whom and for what purposes shouldn't be scoffed at as if they were also tinfoilers, IMO.

It's much healthier for everyone for the public to keep an eye on these things. And it's often effective; public pressure has caused various sites and companies to change their invasive policies as a result.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by FF2

"(such as available memory, up-time, log files"

And LOG FILES could contain, what? Every click, page turn, page back, and every item on the device. I gather the log file is hidden in that OTHER FOLDER, not the ones we see when we connect the usb.

True, though it's not hidden very well. As for what's in it, I don't know. I wiped the log files while working on a script and haven't read anything since then. I plan to look into it after I've got some activity on it.

Originally Posted by FF2

And if a book of 1,000 pages can download in mere seconds, they could send just a much info back HOME in mere seconds when/if you finally turn on wifi or 3g. They don't have to send continuously.

Well, yes and no. I have some control because I can block it from sending to that particular server via my router. It sends to the same server every time. After I saw your post I decided to keep an eye on it. It connected 5 times - once when I gave the sync command from the menu, and once for each of four items I downloaded from the archive (the games I forgot to reload when I was done playing with the script). I'm not set up to get much detail at the moment but it can be done and I'll work on that tomorrow.

I'm curious to see what will happen if the Kindle connects to the internet but can't reach the server it's supposed to phone home to. I wouldn't be able to use Whispernet, obviously, but I'm wondering if anything else happens or stops working. Should be a fun experiment.

IP blocking would only work on my own wifi, obviously, and I wouldn't be able to control what it does on 3G. It's not a practical solution for anyone who needs the Amazon store services or archives, but it could be a workable solution for at-home use for some people. Most of my content comes via my computer anyway.

Ooh, wait... it's using more than one IP on my network. The non-Whispernet server (presumably the data collector) is an "official" Amazon server in Seattle. Interesting. The Kindle connects with one IP for Wnet and another for... whatever it's doing. I guess I have some more investigating to do.

[wvcherrybomb]

This really doesn't bother me at all.

I have tried to be offended by it. I really want to be concerned about it. I know it's an invasion of privacy and I feel like I should want to take a stand against it ... but I don't.

Short of a camera in my bathroom, I just don't care what companies do to spy on me.