What's with the Paranoia?

[Gandulf]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That doesn't make sense. I've bought eBooks from Amazon when out of the country. Granted at the time I didn't have a Kindle and I only had K4PC.

It does, as you are buying a licence to read that ebook in a specific countr, and if your IP address shows you not in that country they have the right to remove your books.

[fabricalado]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Where do you buy eBooks? Do you buy using a credit card or bank card? If you do, then it's no real difference to registering.

Thing is, there comes a time when we have to give our information no matter how we feel about the company involved. It's either that are don't do business with them and we may not have that choice. For example, there are a lot of people who think Comcast is the devil but they don't have a choice. It's either that do without hi-speed Internet.

Agreed that at some point we all have to compromise.
Still, there's a distinction to be made here: using a bank/credit card to buy a book is something you can't opt out of, whereas registering is optional.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you buy eBooks from Amazon and pay using a credit or bank card but do not register, then (IMHO) that's hypocritical. Same goes for Kobo, B&N, Tolino, etc.

I'll admit it sounds incoherent, but why hypocritical? Can't people spend money on a product and still distrust the seller?

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I would not be happy if my bank or cell phone service provider said they were going to do whatever they wanted with my data. But they don't do that.

Oh yeah, about that, see if your carrier's here

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by fabricalado

Still, there's a distinction to be made here: using a bank/credit card to buy a book is something you can't opt out of, whereas registering is optional.

You have to register an app or a program if not a physical ereader. Otherwise you can only gift an ebook to someone registered.

Registering is thus not optional. You DON'T need a bank/credit card, that's optional if you use a gift card sent by anyone anywhere to the email address that you register the kindle to. It by default is then anonymous but on the USA store. The gift card has to be bought in the USA store, but the home marketplace of the donor can be anywhere.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by fabricalado

Oh yeah, about that, see if your carrier's here

My cell service provider is not there.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

You have to register an app or a program if not a physical ereader. Otherwise you can only gift an ebook to someone registered.

Registering is thus not optional. You DON'T need a bank/credit card, that's optional if you use a gift card sent by anyone anywhere to the email address that you register the kindle to. It by default is then anonymous but on the USA store. The gift card has to be bought in the USA store, but the home marketplace of the donor can be anywhere.

Well said!

[fabricalado]

Originally Posted by Quoth

You have to register an app or a program if not a physical ereader.

Define "register". If I download the APK for an Android program and install it on my smartphone, does that mean it's registered? If so, how is that the same as creating an account?

And you're right that I could use a third-party gift card, my bad.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by fabricalado

Define "register". If I download the APK for an Android program and install it on my smartphone, does that mean it's registered? If so, how is that the same as creating an account?

And you're right that I could use a third-party gift card, so, I'll try and clarify that.
What I meant was, there's no way to buy from Amazon without involving some electronic means of transaction. Thus, this is where one has to compromise, be it me or, to use your example, whoever's gifting me.

Just installing the Kindle app is not registering. But using the Kindle app to download eBooks from Amazon does mean you need an account and you need to have the app registered.

[fabricalado]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

My cell service provider is not there.

Good. So, from 1-10, how confident are you that nothing bad will ever happen with your data?

[fabricalado]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just installing the Kindle app is not registering. But using the Kindle app to download eBooks from Amazon does mean you need an account and you need to have the app registered.

Just to clarify that I edited this last part of my post because at first I misunderstood what Quoth had written, and got it wrong.

[fabricalado]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just installing the Kindle app is not registering. But using the Kindle app to download eBooks from Amazon does mean you need an account and you need to have the app registered.

That sounds correct, but - and here I'm guessing, haven't tried it - aren't there ways to deAmazon your kindle to run something like KOReader or some version of Linux (which is what Kindles run on anyway)? Or do you still need to register an account before doing that?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by fabricalado

Good. So, from 1-10, how confident are you that nothing bad will ever happen with your data?

Pretty confident. But thing is, we have to give some company our data to use our cell phones. Also, if you want to buy eBooks from Amazon, Kobo, Google, etc. We have to give some date even if we can use gift cards that we pay for with cash.

At Amazon, we need a valid account and we need either a Kindle or a Kindle app to be registered. There is no way that I know of to buy eBooks without having an account someplace and giving some company our data,.

[fabricalado]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Pretty confident. But thing is, we have to give some company our data to use our cell phones. Also, if you want to buy eBooks from Amazon, Kobo, Google, etc. We have to give some date even if we can use gift cards that we pay for with cash.

At Amazon, we need a valid account and we need either a Kindle or a Kindle app to be registered. There is no way that I know of to buy eBooks without having an account someplace and giving some company our data,.

100%. Seems to me that we're fundamentally in agreement here.

BUT!
If
A)some companies can be ill-intented, and bad stuff happens even to well-meaning companies
B)people can choose to keep some of their data private if they fear things will go bad
why is B paranoiac?

[fabricalado]

To clarify: I feel like I should add that I myself am mildly obsessed with this idea that my privacy is becoming a commodity. To use the technical term, it's tits, and pisses me off to no end.

The trouble I have with calling it paranoia is, it implies a certain level of delusion, meaning, it's baseless. That is something I object to.

Then again, I guess JSWolf wouldn't have created a blockbuster thread if he had written "what's with the healthy obsession?", right?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by fabricalado

Define "register". If I download the APK for an Android program and install it on my smartphone, does that mean it's registered? If so, how is that the same as creating an account?

And you're right that I could use a third-party gift card, my bad.

No, registered is when you put in the Kindle-Amazon account name and password. Without that the Kindle App can't display Kindle ebooks unless you remove the DRM (which needs a registered account). You don't need and shouldn't use the Kindle app except for Kindle ebooks with DRM. Many other apps are better.

The Kindle App on a phone or tablet is WORSE than a physical Kindle as you only need the WiFi or Mobile ONCE to register the eInk Kindle.
The Kindle app connects to Amazon when your phone/tablet data connection is active, it starts at Android boot time and will then connect to Amazon if Data is on. Even if it's not registered (i.e. you didn't log in).
When you login in to the Android app or PC program, that instance is added as a "device" on your Amazon account, as if it was an eink Kindle.

So installing is not registering. Logging in to an Amazon account so as to download from Cloud library or be able to open an Amazon book downloaded to PC and transferred by USB or read on PC is registering.

But the nefarious Amazon software of the App or Program will contact Amazon even if not registered. Also the PC program will auto-update.

Lithium is far better on a phone or tablet than Kindle App. But you need to remove the DRM and convert to epub2. You have to "register" SOMETHING, SOMEWHERE to use Amazon ebooks, even if you read them on a not-Amazon without DRM.

You can't buy Amazon ebooks without at least an email address and a gift card (and only that minimum via an eink Kindle). If you otherwise buy Amazon ebooks you have to create a full account with address, payment method etc, and register whatever displays the books to that account.
You can display an Alias name for reviews and another one generally as well as the real name on the account to match the payment method. You can have multiple aliases for KDP (sending ebooks to Amazon to be sold).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by fabricalado

A)some companies can be ill-intented, and bad stuff happens even to well-meaning companies

You mean like the Capital One breach where it was an inside job by an ex-AWS employee?

Originally Posted by fabricalado

B)people can choose to keep some of their data private if they fear things will go bad
why is B paranoiac?

My personal opinion is that privacy has pretty much disappeared. Unless you happen to only use cash transactions so no bank accounts, credit or debit cards, do not connect to utilities such as water, electricity, natural gas, etc., never go online, are not registered with any government agencies, etc.
Pretty much unless you are living a lifestyle that makes the Amish look like technophiles, privacy is pretty much a dead letter.

Fear things will go bad? Optimist.