Hacks kindlepid/kindlefix 0.2

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Have you seen this?

http://paulasimoesblog.wordpress.com...al-either-way/

BOb

But what I want to know is this...

When you turn on Whispernet and connect to Amazon, can they take a look at what you have on your Kindle?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Oh .... THAT is perfect!! I am tweeting that now, because it is true, and that is exactly what is wrong with the system.

If I purchase the analog version, then I get to keep it. If I purchase the digital version then I get to use it "maybe" for a while .... how long I don't know and they won't tell me.

You see, Amazon does have total control of your Kindle. If they wanted to, next time you turn on Whispernet, they could install a firmware that doesn't let you view any of the content you've purchased and also close down your access to the eBooks you've purchased and if you didn't already back them up onto your computer and strip away the DRM, then you'd be out all the eBooks that you bought via Amazon. They have the ability to do this if they wanted. No other company has such control over eBooks. That is why as soon as I get my purchased eBook, I strip the DRM so I won't have to rely on anyone to have to let me get access to my legally purchased content just because I may have a new computer or changed reading devices.

So if you can strip the DRM, do it. Just use the DRM copies to view on your Kindle so Amazon cannot see the DRM free copies.

[RickyMaveety]

In reply to all three of your posts ... at least in part, no, I don't think that use of Whispernet allows Amazon to see what is on your Kindle. However .... now that they have enabled sync ... which I assume must also work on books other than those purchased at Amazon, perhaps they can??

Or .... does the sync function only work on azw files?

And yes, DMCA tramples all over fair use. It strips my right to access content that I have legally purchased. It essentially means that when I buy a book, the bookstore or the publisher can walk into my house any day they feel like it and cut the pages out of the book. Sorry, Ricky, we've decided you can no longer read that book. Too bad you paid for it. And, no you can't have a refund.

[JSWolf]

The DMCA tries to keep us from violating copyright. But what it does is keep us from reading legally obtained content.

Take the case of DigitalPaperback (I think that was their name). They sold only Mobipocket format eBooks. They went out of business. Sure you still had the content you've legally purchased. But what if the PID inside the eBooks you've purchased were just for your computer. Now if your computer was to be replaced for whatever reason, you'd install Mobipocket Reader again and you'd have a different PID. All those eBooks you've purchased are now gone for good. The DRM says you cannot view them since you no longer have a device that uses that PID you had when you purchased them.

DMCA says you aren't entitled to strip off the DRM because Mobipocket format DRM or not does not matter to Read-aloud. Had they been Adobe PDF or MS Reader format then sure, you could have legally stripped the DRM.

Fair use says you should be able to strip the DRM for your own use since the DRM means the content you've legally purchased is no longer usable to you at all. DMCA says otherwise. This needs to go to court and it needs to be decided and it needs to be done soon. This DMCA vs. fair use is going to be in our faces until it's legally decided which should prevail.

Take this case. You have a blind person who purchases MS Reader eBooks because he can legally strip the DRM and use the TTS software he purchased with MS Reader to red the eBooks to him. He knows it's not as good as a true audiobook, but he doesn't mind and it's ok for him. It gives him good enough access to lots of books he would not otherwise have access to. Now along comes Amazon. They make the K2 with TTS. It can read aloud eBooks. This poor man now cannot legally strip away the DRM like he used to to be able to have eBooks read to him. He would need to purchase a K2 and eBooks from Amazon to be read to him. But that doesn't work because he cannot use a K2. So he's now shit out of luck thanks to DMCA and Amazon. I don't know if Jeff understands what the K2s TTS is legally doing for handicapped people. Because what it is doing is taking something away from them they they used to be able to legally obtain.

My feeling is that if we went to Jeff and told him this, not a thing would change and that's really sad when you think of another big corporation screwing the little guy once more.

[TallMomof2]

The sync only works on Amazon purchased content.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

In reply to all three of your posts ... at least in part, no, I don't think that use of Whispernet allows Amazon to see what is on your Kindle. However .... now that they have enabled sync ... which I assume must also work on books other than those purchased at Amazon, perhaps they can??

Or .... does the sync function only work on azw files?

And yes, DMCA tramples all over fair use. It strips my right to access content that I have legally purchased. It essentially means that when I buy a book, the bookstore or the publisher can walk into my house any day they feel like it and cut the pages out of the book. Sorry, Ricky, we've decided you can no longer read that book. Too bad you paid for it. And, no you can't have a refund.

Can someone who has already written to Amazon Kindle Support, please do so again and ask if they can see the content on a Kindle via Whispernet if they so desire?

It does look like the DMCA tramples fair use. But this has not yet been an issue in a court of law. And I think it needs to go to court to get it settled once and for all. And if it did go to court, I do think the EFF would be sending lawyers to help the side of fair use.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

The sync only works on Amazon purchased content.

But does Whispernet send to Amazon a directory of what is on the Kindle? If it did and Amazon saw the directory entry for an eBook they they knew was in copyright and sold with DRM and the records indicated that the owner of the Kindle did not purchase it from Amazon, they could in theory call the cops (so to speak).

[igorsk]

Actually, the Kindle polls Amazon servers for a so-called "todo" list, which usually includes items like books or samples to download or bookmarks to update. However, it can also include a "send log" command which makes Kindle upload the system log to Amazon. Among other things, that log includes filenames and titles of the books opened by the user.

An example from my old investigation:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> 
<response>
  <total_count>5</total_count> 
  <next_pull_time>20080124 16:17:30</next_pull_time> 
  <items>
    <item priority="0" type="CMND" action="SND" key="1199422466841:LOGFILE_MESSAGES_LONG" is_incremental="false" sequence="0">CustomerService</item> 
    <item priority="0" type="CMND" action="SND" key="1199422466841:611" is_incremental="false" sequence="0">CustomerService</item> 
    <item priority="0" type="EBSP" action="GET" key="B000WDV7TS" is_incremental="false" sequence="0">Chemoton Theory: Theory of Living Systems (Mathematical and Computational Chemistry)</item> 
    <item priority="5" type="NAMS" action="GET" key="Register" is_incremental="false" sequence="0" /> 
    <item priority="5" type="PSNL" action="GET" key="ThankYouLetter" is_incremental="false" sequence="0">Thank You Letter</item> 
  </items>
</response>

(note the CMND (command) SND (send) items)

A piece of the system log:

Nov 20 12:26:51 syslog: info: Switched to Booklet: Bookworm
Nov 20 12:26:51 syslog: info: Book Title The Washington Post
Nov 20 12:26:51 syslog: info: Book AUTHORS The Washington Post Company
Nov 20 12:26:51 syslog: info: Book ASIN B000ZFV9QO
<....>
Nov 22 16:32:08 syslog: info: Search: Indexing content of /mnt/us/documents/Grantville_Gazette_Volume_I.prc at 16:32:08
Nov 22 16:32:09 syslog: info: Search: Sorting book at 16:32:09
Nov 22 16:32:35 syslog: info: Switched to Booklet: Browser
Nov 22 16:33:19 syslog: info: Switched to Booklet: Browser
Nov 22 16:34:32 syslog: info: Search: Writing index at 16:34:32
Nov 22 16:36:33 syslog: info: Search: 265.01 seconds to index the content of /mnt/us/documents/Grantville_Gazette_Volume_I.prc
Nov 22 16:36:35 syslog: info: Search: Content index needs to be generated because titleInfo is not valid: /mnt/us/documents/The_Tyrant.prc

I don't know whether Amazon actually uses that information or not (my guess would be they care only about diagnostic info), but they certainly can get it.

[InlawBiker]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But what I want to know is this...

When you turn on Whispernet and connect to Amazon, can they take a look at what you have on your Kindle?

Yes they can.

Section 5 of the Kindle license agreement.
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).

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The DMCA tries to keep us from violating copyright. But what it does is keep us from reading legally obtained content.

The DMCA doesn't even require there to be any possibility of a copyright violation. All it does is make it impossible for the consumer to continue to use digital media they have purchased. That's it .... nothing more. It doesn't stop pirates, doesn't stop copyright violations ... just makes the typical consumer a criminal.

And, it is going to ... not singlehandedly but with the assistance of corporations such as Amazon ... kill digital publishing. And those of us who love to read are the losers.

Gee, thanks, Jeff!!

[kcarscadden]

I read through all 115 posts to see why the link was no longer in IGOSK's post, didn't find any post directly explaining the reason, went back to the 1st post and saw:

Last edited by Alexander Turcic; Yesterday at 06:34 PM. Reason: Link removed

It would be nice to have someone edit a thread like this to summarize it:

- The script has uses that are fair and moral.
- The script probably violates the DCMA and other similar laws.
- DMCA has very little if anything to do with fair and moral.
- DMCA sucks.

Keith

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

The DMCA doesn't even require there to be any possibility of a copyright violation.

That is so true. You could have a site that distributes ebooks that are in the public domain using DRM... and removing the DRM would violate the DMCA. It's just a stupid law.

Also, there is the exception for disabled people. But, what if the disabled person doesn't have the computer skills to remove the DRM? Can another person remove the DRM since they would not fall under the exception?

The thing that I would like to see one of these interviewers ask Bezos is, why is it bad for Apple to lock iTunes content to an iPod which prompted you to open the DRM free MP3 store, but it is ok for you to lock Kindle users into only using the Kindle store?

BOb

[kevindorsey]

Originally Posted by kcarscadden

I read through all 115 posts to see why the link was no longer in IGOSK's post, didn't find any post directly explaining the reason, went back to the 1st post and saw:

Last edited by Alexander Turcic; Yesterday at 06:34 PM. Reason: Link removed

It would be nice to have someone edit a thread like this to summarize it:

- The script has uses that are fair and moral.
- The script probably violates the DCMA and other similar laws.
- DMCA has very little if anything to do with fair and moral.
- DMCA sucks.

Keith

Hehe, tough luck.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by kevindorsey

Hehe, tough luck.

Hey, it's "tough luck" for anyone who owns a Kindle ... that includes me. It's rotten "luck" that Amazon has decided to put a death grip on content for the Kindle.

You would think that they would have learned something from the Apple iPod model. Apple is now offering DRM free music, and I don't see their sales drying up. People are not suddenly deciding not to get an iPod or purchase music from iTunes because there is no more DRM ... it's a great product AND, guess what, the average consumer would much rather pay a reasonable free to have unfettered personal use of the content they purchase than to have to spend extra time and effort to pirate the stuff.

Seriously, why would I want to spend hours finding and downloading and then fiddling with music or any other media if I could buy it for a few dollars? Hell, even if I only made minimum wage, it wouldn't make economic sense, not to mention the fact that it's unethical.

But sure ... treat all your customers as criminals. Take their money and then turn around and then prevent them from actually using your product ... oh, and don't refund their money. Yeah .... that's a great business model.

[daffy4u]

Check my new sig.