undefined | Better HN

0 pointsfalcolas5y ago0 comments

I pointed this out in a thread, but with the e-reader devices at least, you do have an option. It's opt-out, which sucks, but it does exist.

0 comments

3 comments · 1 top-level

danShumway5y ago· 2 in thread

> which sucks

Note that it doesn't just suck because you're giving up using the Kindle itself. It also sucks because you'll be losing your entire collection of Ebooks, which are DRM-encumbered and can not be ported to other non-Amazon devices/platforms/apps.

This makes it extremely difficult for other privacy-respecting platforms to compete on the market, since using them requires the user to either break the law by stripping DRM from their books, or to abandon their entire purchased library.

Future TOS/EULA/Privacy changes that might not have been in place when a user originally bought their Kindle can thus be forced on them by making it prohibitively expensive for the user to opt out or change ecosystems.

falcolasOP5y ago

I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding - you can turn off analytics on your e-reader without giving up the kindle platform. It's also separate from whispersync (which can also be disabled independently).

danShumway5y ago

Just for clarification -- is this something that actually turns off the collection itself?

I'm seeing conflicting things online that range from "just hit this toggle and you're good", to "you can disable some of it, but not all", to "this only opts out of data processing for ads/analytics".

If there really is an option to disable the collection entirely, then that would mitigate a large number of the problems I have with that practice. Of course I'd love for it to be opt-in, but just giving the option would still be better than many other devices like Smart TVs.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse