Is Adobe Digital Editions spying on our ereading?

almagary · 08-01-2011, 03:49 AM

xposted from Kobo Reader forum.

Here is the situation that led to a discovery: My WiFi Kobo has never gotten along with Adobe Digital Editions. Whether plugged in via USB before or after booting ADE on my PC, ADE has always gone blank and crashed. Meaning I always had to download bookstore or library ebooks via ADE, then sideload via Calibre. OK as a workaround, but I won't mention the DRM problem.

This evening I wasn't thinking as I hooked up the Kobo to my PC, which was already running ADE and, as it happens, Calibre. I sighed as there was flashing, momentary blankness--the usual signs of a crash--and I started to eject the Kobo. Then I was shocked to see a series of message-size ADE boxes flash by with the titles of some ebooks not acquired via ADE.

The only way that ADE could know about these ebooks would be by spying on either my Kobo or Calibre.

I hated ADE before for its monopolistic role in my ereading life, its poor design and lack of extended elibrary functions, and of course its inability to work with my Kobo. Now I hate it because it is a spy.

I can't get any screengrabs on this ADE wiretapping. Anyone else catch Adobe on this?

charleski · 08-01-2011, 04:41 AM

There's nothing to 'catch'. ADE synchronises annotations when an ADE-compatible device is connected, it's simply storing the annotations that your reader is telling it about. This is supposed to ensure that you don't lose bookmarks or the last-read position in the book. The annotations are stored in My Digital Editions/Annotations.

carpetmojo · 08-01-2011, 04:43 AM

Ooooer...............

Tech-guys to the fore !

almagary · 08-01-2011, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charleski

There's nothing to 'catch'. ADE synchronises annotations when an ADE-compatible device is connected, it's simply storing the annotations that your reader is telling it about. This is supposed to ensure that you don't lose bookmarks or the last-read position in the book. The annotations are stored in My Digital Editions/Annotations.

I have no ebook annotations anywhere. The title of the ebook in an ADE message box that flashed by was not acquired via ADE and is not listed anywhere in the My Digital Editions folder.

Again, the only way that ADE would know about this particular title is if it was poking around in my Kobo or Calibre.

DiapDealer · 08-01-2011, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Again, the only way that ADE would know about this particular title is if it was poking around in my Kobo or Calibre

Of course it's poking around in your Kobo. Whether or not you have any annotations, ADE is searching your Kobo for any annotations or bookmarks associated with the titles that are on it. There may be an evil plot buried in ADE somewhere, but this isn't it.

montsnmags · 08-01-2011, 09:44 AM

Moderator Notice
This is a duplicate "xposted" thread, which our Guidelines specify against. For the original thread, please see:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=1684002

Thread closed.

Cheers,
Marc
Moderator

08-01-2011, 03:49 AM	#1
almagary Wears funny hat (cloth) Posts: 28 Karma: 26 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Limbo Device: Kobo WiFi, Kobo Touch	Is Adobe Digital Editions spying on our ereading? xposted from Kobo Reader forum. Here is the situation that led to a discovery: My WiFi Kobo has never gotten along with Adobe Digital Editions. Whether plugged in via USB before or after booting ADE on my PC, ADE has always gone blank and crashed. Meaning I always had to download bookstore or library ebooks via ADE, then sideload via Calibre. OK as a workaround, but I won't mention the DRM problem. This evening I wasn't thinking as I hooked up the Kobo to my PC, which was already running ADE and, as it happens, Calibre. I sighed as there was flashing, momentary blankness--the usual signs of a crash--and I started to eject the Kobo. Then I was shocked to see a series of message-size ADE boxes flash by with the titles of some ebooks not acquired via ADE. The only way that ADE could know about these ebooks would be by spying on either my Kobo or Calibre. I hated ADE before for its monopolistic role in my ereading life, its poor design and lack of extended elibrary functions, and of course its inability to work with my Kobo. Now I hate it because it is a spy. I can't get any screengrabs on this ADE wiretapping. Anyone else catch Adobe on this?

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08-01-2011, 04:41 AM	#2
charleski Wizard Posts: 1,196 Karma: 1281258 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505	There's nothing to 'catch'. ADE synchronises annotations when an ADE-compatible device is connected, it's simply storing the annotations that your reader is telling it about. This is supposed to ensure that you don't lose bookmarks or the last-read position in the book. The annotations are stored in My Digital Editions/Annotations.

08-01-2011, 04:43 AM	#3
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Ooooer............... Tech-guys to the fore !

08-01-2011, 09:44 AM	#6
montsnmags Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,155 Karma: 4632658 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: none	Moderator Notice This is a duplicate "xposted" thread, which our Guidelines specify against. For the original thread, please see: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=1684002 Thread closed. Cheers, Marc Moderator

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