Ereader with Privacy AND Internet Access

[haertig]

Libraries are generally very good about keeping your borrowing private, I would trust a library much more than I'd trust a retailer.

But all that goes out the window with eBooks. It is not just the library you are dealing with. You will be dealing with either Amazon or Adobe too, since these third parties are the ones who add DRM to the library eBooks you borrow via Overdrive. Don't think that Amazon and Adobe are just giving away their service of adding DRM to the libraries for free, out of the goodness in their hearts. They are getting something for it. I doubt that is payment from the libraries (but I don't know that for a fact), but I'm willing to guess that what they get in return is information. As much as they can manage to get ... about the borrower. You! This is valuable for them, since they can consolidate and repackage it, then SELL it.

You will never be able to have a zero footprint if you buy/borrow eBooks, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to limit the footprint that you do leave.

[stumped]

We'll call me naive, but how does opening an acsm file to access a library book on pc reveal any thing to Adobe, except that I borrowed a book?
And if I borrow the same book without a pc, using kobo to overdrive directly, then Adobe are totally out of the loop.
And Amazon are out of the loop in both cases.
I don't believe that ade is able to run some covert background analysis plus phone nome routine that goes unnoticed by malwarebytes etc..

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by stumped

We'll call me naive, but how does opening an acsm file to access a library book on pc reveal any thing to Adobe, except that I borrowed a book?

I don't believe that ade is able to run some covert background analysis plus phone nome routine that goes unnoticed by malwarebytes etc..

Why not? A compressed list of all your books on ADE would be pretty small if Adobe decides to piggyback that info on to the data sent to Adobe when you open the acsm.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by stumped

We'll call me naive, but how does opening an acsm file to access a library book on pc reveal any thing to Adobe, except that I borrowed a book?
...lines deleted for irrelevance to ADE
I don't believe that ade is able to run some covert background analysis plus phone nome routine that goes unnoticed by malwarebytes etc..

Sorry to burst your bubble but you might want to check into the history of what ADE was reporting. A quick Google/Duck Duck Go/whatever search should bring up a decent amount of information. See What We Can Learn From The Adobe E-Reader Mess for example. There remain quite a few questions about later editions of ADE but since the major change made by Adobe was to encrypt the transmission, it's not as easy to just what information is being sent though the timing of the transmissions suggests that Adobe is no longer harvesting as much information.

[pazos]

And talking about privacy and ADE: you don't need an account with Adobe to be able to retrieve a DRM epub from an ascm file. You can auth the computer without an adobe id.

This way an UUID is generated for that computer and you'll loose the hability to read the same ebook on other devices, and, you'll loose the hability to read the book again if you remove the software, even if you install it again later on.

I wouldn't recommend this to anybody, unless they're buying a book that want to deDRM and they don't want an adobe id at all. In that case it works pretty well.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by pazos

And talking about privacy and ADE: you don't need an account with Adobe to be able to retrieve a DRM epub from an ascm file. You can auth the computer without an adobe id.

This way an UUID is generated for that computer and you'll loose the hability to read the same ebook on other devices, and, you'll loose the hability to read the book again if you remove the software, even if you install it again later on.

I wouldn't recommend this to anybody, unless they're buying a book that want to deDRM and they don't want an adobe id at all. In that case it works pretty well.

Can you provide a link that discusses how to do this?

[stumped]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Sorry to burst your bubble but you might want to check into the history of what ADE was reporting. A quick Google/Duck Duck Go/whatever search should bring up a decent amount of information. See What We Can Learn From The Adobe E-Reader Mess for example. .

I am aware of the history ( & rechecked it last night) but all that fuss was back in 2014 and related to ADE4. I only used ADE2 which does not do any of the alleged bad practice. and even if they could see what was in ADE, they only see a subset of my library loans. Adobe don't see what I get from Amazon and vice versa. This is not "steal a life " territory, is just mild nosiness.. there's far more " about me" stuff in me browser cookies, probably.

and as I can now go library (overdrive) direct to Kobo, Adobe are completely shut out

[haertig]

Originally Posted by stumped

and as I can now go library (overdrive) direct to Kobo, Adobe are completely shut out

Who do you think adds the DRM to those "direct to Kobo" library books?

[stumped]

Originally Posted by haertig

Who do you think adds the DRM to those "direct to Kobo" library books?

well there is no adobe ID on my kobo, so whatever protects those loans is not that. i have carefully avoided ever letting kobo see ADE or vice versa, so the Adobe ID on this PC is NOT known to kobo

the only info I have given to kobo is whatever they got from an initial sign in with Google, to use the device, and a library name & library card number to use overdrive. ( and I have set up pocket but that's irrelevant to this privacy debate)

I have received no emails from kobo which suggests that google has not even given them that

[Quoth]

Pocket gets all the info about the web page and it's converted on their servers. It's a third party company possibly bought by Mozilla. We have no idea how secure their servers are or what they might do with gathered information.
There are certainly Countries where you'd be mad to use Pocket.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

Pocket gets all the info about the web page and it's converted on their servers. It's a third party company possibly bought by Mozilla. We have no idea how secure their servers are or what they might do with gathered information.
...

ok but its yet more disconnected activity. My reading/borrowing/buying/browsing is fragmented across shops/libraries, & by reading devices, & by reader apps, by formats, by login credentials.... its a huge dumpster dive challenge for anyone with nothing better to do than piece it all back together and what do they end up with if they suceeed, - a comprehensive reading list ?.
Wow, if they are that fussed they can incentivise/bribe me & I'll put it all on goodreads for them

FYI pocket on Kobo will not work if you used sign in ( to pocket) with google, so you have to create a new, different pair of pocket credentials - more fragmentation.

Also, Dropbox on Kobo is by design restricted to accessing only a specific app folder in one specific dropbox

[JSWolf]

TBH, there is no way deal with eBooks (that you buy or borrow) without some information getting out. So don't even bother as it's not worth the hassle.

[Deskisamess]

To have no digital footprint whatsoever, you need to not use digital methods. For me, that would mean no more reading at all, an option I can't accept.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

To have no digital footprint whatsoever, you need to not use digital methods. For me, that would mean no more reading at all, an option I can't accept.

er,

so you've not heard of this thing called paper, yet

people make books out of it, supposedly, and you read them totally OFFLINE.

also there's a thriving market for used ones , sold for cash at charity shops / car boot sales....

just use a false name

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by haertig

Who do you think adds the DRM to those "direct to Kobo" library books?

Kobo with their own proprietary DRM.