How to make a Kobo private and vendor-independent ?

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Because if you ever want to purchase eBooks from Kobo, they need a valid email address to sent the receipt. So use a real email address. You could create one just for the Kobo account using Outlook or Gmail.

Oops, I missed that the OP wants to read his purchased Kobo ebooks with all the bells and whistles (i.e. syncing). In that case, a legitimate email makes sense.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by John F

What are the advantages of creating a temp email (I assume you mean create an actual email account)? Why not just use a fake email address?

Temp email address is a temporary email address. You get a mail address for a few minutes which is enough to get things like verification emails then it goes poof. Fake address you can't answer verification emails because the account either doesn't exist or somebody else controls it. It's been a long time since I made a Kobo account so I'm not sure if they need verification but some services do like Reddit.

[Quoth]

No, there is no verification or email at all ever to the email address unless you buy stuff on the Kobo store. An imaginary, temp or real email address works. At least that was true the last time I registered.

[John F]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

Temp email address is a temporary email address. You get a mail address for a few minutes which is enough to get things like verification emails then it goes poof. Fake address you can't answer verification emails because the account either doesn't exist or somebody else controls it. It's been a long time since I made a Kobo account so I'm not sure if they need verification but some services do like Reddit.

I don't believe that Kobo requires a verification for an email address as the advice has been given many times to use a fake email account with no posts complaining about it. If nothing else, try the fake address first, and then if necessary, use a temp email address.

I haven't heard of getting an email address for a few minutes. Is there some service/website, or do you have to create it and then delete it?

[salamanderjuice]

There is a number of websites that offer these services. Its quicker than making a new one on gmail or where ever as you don't need to give a name and other contact details.

[John F]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

There is a number of websites that offer these services. Its quicker than making a new one on gmail or where ever as you don't need to give a name and other contact details.

Thanks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by John F

I don't believe that Kobo requires a verification for an email address as the advice has been given many times to use a fake email account with no posts complaining about it. If nothing else, try the fake address first, and then if necessary, use a temp email address.

I haven't heard of getting an email address for a few minutes. Is there some service/website, or do you have to create it and then delete it?

That's still not a good idea. I don't know what happens when you buy eBooks from Kobo and the email with the receipt bounces. So it's best to use a real working e-mail address.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

There is a number of websites that offer these services. Its quicker than making a new one on gmail or where ever as you don't need to give a name and other contact details.

But you do have to give your details including payment details when you buy eBooks. The OP wants to buy eBooks. So fudging a Kobo account is one of the worst ideas.

Has anyone but me actually read what the OP wrote?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That's still not a good idea. I don't know what happens when you buy eBooks from Kobo and the email with the receipt bounces. So it's best to use a real working e-mail address.

Jon, for what it's worth, Kobo does not seem to care if the receipt email bounces. The books will still sync to your Kobo associated with that account.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But you do have to give your details including payment details when you buy eBooks. The OP wants to buy eBooks. So fudging a Kobo account is one of the worst ideas.

Has anyone but me actually read what the OP wrote?

When I was playing with fake addresses, I used a Kobo gift card to pay for a purchase. That was a few years back so may not work now but all I did was enter the gift card info and the purchase went through. The account still shows an 11¢ balance and no other payment information.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Jon, for what it's worth, Kobo does not seem to care if the receipt email bounces. The books will still sync to your Kobo associated with that account.

Thing is, I have bought some eBooks because of the email I've gotten from Kobo. So I still would not recommend a fake email address or a temp email address. Kobo doesn't sell email addresses.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Thing is, I have bought some eBooks because of the email I've gotten from Kobo. So I still would not recommend a fake email address or a temp email address. Kobo doesn't sell email addresses.

Whereas for me, I tend to hunt for ebooks myself since I find neither Amazon nor Kobo's recommendations to be very useful. Personal recommendations are somewhat better but even there, I've had too many books recommended that are cold pancakes and no honey to my tastes.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Whereas for me, I tend to hunt for ebooks myself since I find neither Amazon nor Kobo's recommendations to be very useful. Personal recommendations are somewhat better but even there, I've had too many books recommended that are cold pancakes and no honey to my tastes.

I do get a lot of recommendations that are not for me. But I have gotten some that are on sale that I have bought. So it's worth it to get Kobo's email.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But you do have to give your details including payment details when you buy eBooks. The OP wants to buy eBooks. So fudging a Kobo account is one of the worst ideas.

Has anyone but me actually read what the OP wrote?

did you actually read what the OP posted? From the OP:

Originally Posted by Odessa

...

How to make sure Kobo and Adobe have as little information as possible on what I do ?

...

So the OP could use a real email (or fake) for purchases, use a seperate fake email for registering his Kobo (or use the database hack), turn off wifi on the Kobo, and Kobo would have as little information as possible. Assuming he downloads and strips drm and sideloads.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by John F

did you actually read what the OP posted? From the OP:

I did, did you?

I bought a Libra mainly to read public-domain ebooks -- not excluding paid-for books.

To buy eBooks, one has to give information such as payment details. That means name and address. You cannot buy eBooks without giving more information then just a valid email address.

Using the database hack is not guaranteed to work. several times the hack failed because of new firmware. There's nothing to say that won't happen again. I think my suggestion of crating a valid email address just for use with Kobo is the best solution.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I did, did you?

...

Yes I did, which is why I quoted the original post. The part that you seem to be skipping. Again, from the OP:

...

How to make sure Kobo and Adobe have as little information as possible on what I do ?

...

They can still have a valid email address for buying books, and use a separate/fake address for the reader. It would solve both problems: they could still buy books, and limit the information going from the reader back to Kobo.