What's with the Paranoia?

[JSWolf]

Someone with a fake registration has to be the first to install a new Kobo firmware and find out that it's no longer compatible. Calibre has nothing to do with this.

Properly register means to register with an account at Kobo. Then you won't have a risk of a fake registration failing. Also, if you use a fake email address, you would have to start over if you someday decided to use the account to buy books or use Overdrive (if your Kobo has it). So registering with a fake email address is again a rather bad idea.

What I want to know is what is it about registering that causes anyone any harm?

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by hildea

Sure, I get that. I'm not saying I'm expecting others to do as I do, I'm simply trying to explain my view. My post was an attempt to answer posts like your #47 and JSWolf's #33, where you seem puzzled that others prefer some improvement in privacy, even if it's not complete.



Yes, exactly. But the tone in this thread from some of the pro-registering people seems almost hostile. Why?



With Pocketbook, registering will let me buy books from my ereader at at bookstore with mostly books in Russian or Ukrainian, and access from my ereader to a Goodreads/Storygraph/Librarything-kind of social network that I've never heard of elsewhere. (Note: My ereader is a few years old, this may have changed.) In other words, I'm not making any kind of sacrifice by not registering.

My Tolino was purchased used on ebay and I'm never going to use the European store associated with it (I'm in the US), so I didn't register it. I can get Overdrive library books directly on the device with my library account information. If I want to get my purchased books onto the Tolino I load them via my PC. Since library books constitute the majority of my reading, this works out OK for me. Like you, no sacrifice in not registering.

My Kobo is registered because I do buy from their store sometimes and I use the Overdrive library integration. This was my choice, and I'm not going to criticize those who chose not to register.

I do find it annoying that if I don't mark a library book finished I'll get an email from Kobo offering to sell me the book to finish reading it. If I didn't finish it, it's probably because I didn't like it and returned it early! Too bad there isn't an option to mark a book as intentionally DNF.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I want to know is what is it about registering that causes anyone any harm?

Some people just don't want a company keeping track of what they bought, how many pages of it they read, etc.

As long as their choice not to register is working for them, why do you care?

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Someone with a fake registration has to be the first to install a new Kobo firmware and find out that it's no longer compatible. Calibre has nothing to do with this.

Not true.

... Properly register means to register with an account at Kobo. Then you won't have a risk of a fake registration failing. Also, if you use a fake email address, you would have to start over if you someday decided to use the account to buy books or use Overdrive (if your Kobo has it). ...

Again, not true.

... What I want to know is what is it about registering that causes anyone any harm?

Asked and answered, multiple times, in multiple threads.

[Ghitulescu]

Originally Posted by haertig

Probably true, for retailers like Amazon.

<script async src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US&adInstanceId=5de520e3-8579-4305-82cb-557738578f9d"></script>

This very amazon script is on this very page.

Shutting down WiFi or other communication system renders this forum unreadable as well

The same is valid for all systems, be they embedded or personal computers and off-flavours. Data mining is very productive. So productive, that there are webpages where drivers (or anything one wants, say a book or a movie or a song) are given for free if one enables cookies or 5€ if not. One might think why they spend 5€ worth just to place a cookie on your computer (and to read it afterwards)

[gbm]

The OP of this thread asks "What's with the Paranoia?"--If he would look in a mirror I think he would have his answer.

bernie

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

Some people just don't want a company keeping track of what they bought, how many pages of it they read, etc.

As long as their choice not to register is working for them, why do you care?

How can you buy eBooks without the store knowing you bought eBooks?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by gbm

The OP of this thread asks "What's with the Paranoia?"--If he would look in a mirror I think he would have his answer.

bernie

I'm not paranoid. I'm not trying to find every way possible to not register my Readers. I'm not trying to find ways to not give my information to stores. I do use libraries to get eBooks or audiobooks.

How is that paranoia? Do you even know what the word means?

[hildea]

You seem weirdly unable to grasp the fact that other people have other priorities and preferences than you, and seem to be searching for some sinister purpose or mental defect to explain the difference.

Like Sirtel wrote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Some people value digital privacy more than others. Some value speed and convenience more than others.

A lot of us have explained our various stances. Frankly, I find it baffling that you're still baffled.

[JSWolf]

And what makes no sense is that if you really value digital privacy that much, get off the Internet. There is no way to be 100% private. And trying to not register a Reader is one of the things that makes no sense as other things you do on the net give away more information then registering a Reader.

[hildea]

I guess I have something more to add, after all:

1. When I need to replace my ereader, I want to be able to pick the brand and model that has the features I want to a price I like, without having to choose between staying with my current brand of ereader, or else having to redo a lot of my library organization. Therefore, I would never buy a brand of ereader that required me to use the brand's proprietary system for organizing my books.
   
2. I think huge, powerful monopolies are bad, and want to do my (small) contribution to refrain from adding to the power of the most powerful of them. Therefore, I want to reduce the amount of money and information I give to Amazon (and Google, and Facebook). I'm not willing to boycott them completely, because sometimes I'll prioritise my convenience, but I'm willing to do a bit of effort. (This wouldn't keep me from registering a Kobo, so for that only reason 1 applies.) And sure, my individual contribution here is a drop in the ocean, but like Difflugia said, so is voting.

[hildea]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And what makes no sense is that if you really value digital privacy that much, get off the Internet. There is no way to be 100% private. And trying to not register a Reader is one of the things that makes no sense as other things you do on the net give away more information then registering a Reader.

I've already answered that, in post #163.

[hildea]

I'm curious: Do you go for all-or-nothing extremes in all areas of your life? For instance:
Do you 1) only eat perfectly healthy food, or 2) make no effort at all to eat healthy?
Do you 1) exercise a perfect amount to keep in optimal health or 2) make no effort at all to stay in shape?
Do you 1) give as much as possible to charity, keeping only the bare minimum to stay alive and healthy for yourself or 2) give nothing at all to charity?

Most people choose some kind of compromise in all those areas.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by hildea

I'm curious: Do you go for all-or-nothing extremes in all areas of your life? For instance:
Do you 1) only eat perfectly healthy food, or 2) make no effort at all to eat healthy?
Do you 1) exercise a perfect amount to keep in optimal health or 2) make no effort at all to stay in shape?
Do you 1) give as much as possible to charity, keeping only the bare minimum to stay alive and healthy for yourself or 2) give nothing at all to charity?

Most people choose some kind of compromise in all those areas.

1. Somewhere in the middle
2. Somewhere in the middle
3. I don't give much to charity

Not everything is all or nothing. But somethings are.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by hildea

I guess I have something more to add, after all:

1. When I need to replace my ereader, I want to be able to pick the brand and model that has the features I want to a price I like, without having to choose between staying with my current brand of ereader, or else having to redo a lot of my library organization. Therefore, I would never buy a brand of ereader that required me to use the brand's proprietary system for organizing my books.

Which brand would require you to use their proprietary system? I use Calibre for organizing all my books. And I always pick my readers based on the features I like, not the brand.