![]() |
#1 |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 3,305
Karma: 10259306
Join Date: May 2016
Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,
|
Amazon is monitoring....
I usually yawn my way through the big brother/paranoia articles but this shocked me.
And it is from a BBC news report called How Bezos built his data machine The author used a freedom of information request for all that Amazon have on him... "One spreadsheet actually triggers a warning message saying it is too big for my software to handle. It contains details of the 83,657 Kindle interactions I’ve had since 2018, including the exact time of day for each tap. An associated document divides up my reading sessions for each e-book, timing each to the millisecond." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/CLQYZENMBI/amazon-data |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 3,305
Karma: 10259306
Join Date: May 2016
Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,
|
PS, what annoys me about that disclosure is that about a year ago we had lost a Kindle, so I called Amazon to ask can you tell me where and when it was last used( hoping that would help track it down). Amazon said "sorry we don't keep any data on your Kindle usage". Which, if the above article is true, was a complete lie.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 | |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 2,742
Karma: 45300001
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ohio
Device: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8", Scribe 2022
|
Quote:
All online retailers track searches and purchases. All brick and mortar stores track purchases, if you use a store card for discounts etc. They have video cameras everywhere you go. Credit card companies track spending habits as well. Perhaps I should, but I don't care that Amazon knows how many reading sessions it took me to finish a book. The bit about the Echo devices isn't new news. Voice activated devices listen. It's what they do. Everyone has to decide how they feel about such things when deciding if they want the benefits such devices offer. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 1,653
Karma: 20102554
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Central Florida
Device: Oasis 3, PW 3 & 5, Fire HD 8 & 10
|
I agree with Deskisamess, and I don't think they keep user stats where they can just type a name and have all the stats and algorithm just pop up tied to one user in particular. This data is likely merged with other tracking of basics such as location, gender, age group, reading habits. It's not a new practice and is typical of the internet. I'm not surprised they weren't able to find a missing kindle due to this.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 2,742
Karma: 45300001
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ohio
Device: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8", Scribe 2022
|
Also, every bit of this is covered in the TOS and PRIVACY notices on Amazon. (According to the location of the user)
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 |
Still reading
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 13,740
Karma: 103847703
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Ireland
Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper
|
I uninstalled the Kindle App from my phone as it was attempting to contact Amazon even when I wasn't reading a book. Now I convert to epub to read on a 3rd party app on my phone.
I also won't sign up to Prime or Unlimited etc as a reader, nor KDP Select as a publisher. The Unlimited REQUIRES 100% monitoring per page or the Authors / Publishers don't get paid. It's a very nasty subscription model destroying privacy. ADE (used for epubs with DRM) reports to Adobe and at one stage was sending statistics of usage in the clear. Note HTTPS isn't secure when used via a 3rd party WiFi point or some mobile systems. DRM is a terrible evil. Note also, a privacy notice doesn't make GDPR violations legal, or immoral monitoring acceptable. Not all contracts are even legally enforceable. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 | |
Still reading
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 13,740
Karma: 103847703
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Ireland
Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper
|
Quote:
That's policy. They prefer to blacklist. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 | ||
Still reading
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 13,740
Karma: 103847703
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Ireland
Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper
|
Quote:
Quote:
The USA before the Internet even brought in laws to forbid Banks making use of any info on a Check (Cheque) other than to clear it (pay it). Online services, sales and such should be subject to the same laws as historic trading. It's just electronic mail order or advertising, not something different that magically doesn't need any law. Uber, Netflix, Facebook, Google, Amazon, AirBnB. |
||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Grand Sorcerer
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 28,375
Karma: 203720150
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
|
You saying "it is a lie" doesn't actually make it so.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#10 |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 3,305
Karma: 10259306
Join Date: May 2016
Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,
|
fair points on usage vs location..
with the missing Kindle ( since found behind a chest of drawers) I was hoping to establish if I shoudl keep searching the hosue or it it has been left at a friends house on a recent trip. A last-used date would have helped but that was not available also. Back to the BBC report, I assume anyone curious enough could file the same data freedom request & see what amazon has on them and with alexa & google equivalents, the tech companies all say there is an option to ask them to scrub your audio snippets history - though arguably you have to be a tad naive to believe that that wipes all instances. FYI, our grandson is no longer an Alexa fan. He's sussed how grannie uses " Alexa, find my phone" whenever she misplaces the mobile, so when he misplaced his favourite ( fluffy toy) turtle, he confidently expected "Alexa, find my turtle" to work. It didn't. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#11 |
Resident Curmudgeon
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 79,227
Karma: 145488788
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
The thing to do is keep all Kindles in airplane mode and the tracking will not be able to happen.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#12 |
BLAM!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 13,506
Karma: 26047190
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Paris, France
Device: Kindle 2i, 3g, 4, 5w, PW, PW2, PW5; Kobo H2O, Forma, Elipsa, Sage, C2E
|
They do triangulate, always have. Kindles being ridiculously verbose is nothing new if you've ever looked at system logs (which anyone with physical access to the device can, the ;dumpMessages command is public)
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#13 | |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 3,305
Karma: 10259306
Join Date: May 2016
Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,
|
Quote:
I would not be bothered with Amazon knowing how long I spent on each page of each book, the paranoia case is if they are forced to hand that data to some intelligence agency to use as profillng evidence. Also, I guess the detailed reading data is only good for books bought from and downloaded from Amazon, not for sideloads of converted epub, for example. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#14 |
BLAM!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 13,506
Karma: 26047190
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Paris, France
Device: Kindle 2i, 3g, 4, 5w, PW, PW2, PW5; Kobo H2O, Forma, Elipsa, Sage, C2E
|
@stumped: Short of potentially throwing a few extra warnings because it's possibly harder to match it to store content, it doesn't change much.
If the matching fails, that effectively turns that bit of data to noise for them, but it's still there, there's not a magic "oh no, it's sideloaded, drop everything" switch ![]() (Fair warning: if cdeType is EBOK. I would *hope* logging would be tamer for PDOC, but I've never actually left stuff tagged as PDOC for the obvious UI integration issues we're all familiar with, so I've never looked at PDOC logging much). Last edited by NiLuJe; 02-18-2020 at 04:15 PM. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#15 |
Wizard
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 2,742
Karma: 45300001
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ohio
Device: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8", Scribe 2022
|
I've got real things to fear and avoid in my daily life. Amazon "tracking" what I read and recording our requests for weather and traffic fall way down at the bottom of the list.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Monitoring battery charge | MrTick | Kindle Developer's Corner | 17 | 12-20-2019 02:55 AM |
Kindle as ebike monitoring screen | Limezy | Kindle Developer's Corner | 6 | 06-27-2018 03:05 PM |
Apple gripes about antitrust monitoring | fjtorres | News | 474 | 07-17-2015 09:32 AM |
Monitoring eBook Prices | ebusinesstutor | General Discussions | 0 | 08-18-2011 12:23 AM |