Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data • Hacker News Board

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#61

Post by umvi » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:54 PM UTC

alongreyber wrote: post #49

cpach wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What formats does it handle? Can it handle EPUB for example?

For this I recommend Calibre: https://calibre-ebook.com/ It will convert any format of E-Book to a compatible format for the Kindle (usually MOBI) and allows you to upload it directly. I use it often and it's an amazing piece of software!

I actually prefer KindleGen[0] to convert EPUB to MOBI - I find it produces a superior e-book.

Edit: Oh no, Amazon removed KindleGen! When did that happen? I still have x86 copies for Linux and windows if anyone wants it. Supposedly "Kindle Previewer" can do the same thing, but a cursory glance looks like it no longer supports Linux...

[0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000765...

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#62

Post by wombatmobile » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:54 PM UTC

badRNG wrote: post #13

I'm sure someone like me always has the same "hot take" in every thread regarding this, but I honestly still love reading physical books. After spending a day weary of interacting with screens all day, there is something nice about tapping in to this activity that humans have done for hundreds of years. Sure, e-ink is easier on the eyes, but isolating myself with a good book can be a near spiritual experience.

Yes, and once read, books can stay with you on the shelves you live with in your habitat, reminding you who you are and what you know and believe.

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#63

Post by belorn » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:54 PM UTC

Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #21

I have quite often seen people here and on other tech forums assume that purchasing a Kindle means being locked into Amazon's ecosystem, giving up personal details, and having the risk that your books might be deleted. But you don't have to use the Kindle's internet connectivity: I have owned three generations of Kindle, and with each one I activated airplane mode the second I unboxed the device and I never turned ai…

If this practice ever get wide spread I would guess that the developers will limit airplane mode in someway in order to ensure that the device will call home at some point.

But it is a pretty clever hack to get a hostile machine to not connect to the internet as airplane mode is (I assume) regulated behavior.

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#64

Post by djsumdog » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:55 PM UTC

Despoisj wrote: post #38

As a former Kindle developer, I can say that most of what's mentioned in this article are metrics used to understand how the features are used (bookmarks, highlights, dictionnary, etc.), how much they are used, and in which country. This allows the teams to focus on features that are actively used, and sometimes lead to discontinuing features that see little to no use. Hope that helps.

Don't care. Still hate it. Why not add in an opt-out of metrics in the preferences?

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#65

Post by neiman » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:55 PM UTC

Despoisj wrote: post #38

As a former Kindle developer, I can say that most of what's mentioned in this article are metrics used to understand how the features are used (bookmarks, highlights, dictionnary, etc.), how much they are used, and in which country. This allows the teams to focus on features that are actively used, and sometimes lead to discontinuing features that see little to no use. Hope that helps.

How does it make a difference?

First, if an entity want my input and are going to use it, they should be decent enough to pay me for giving it. Why do users need to work for free for Amazon?

Second, is it opt-in? If not, then there's an ethical issue here, even if a manual opt-out option is given (does it?). If there's no opt-out, there's a double ethical issue.

Thirdly, is this data deleted once it's being used for the goals you mentioned, or is it kept, making it a risk both for leaking and for Amazing deciding to put it for a different usage in the future.

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#66

Post by thekyle » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:55 PM UTC

jabroni_salad wrote: post #37

mmrezaie wrote: post #2

How are the alternatives. Although i will miss my collection of books but I'm going to be in the market for the next ebook reader.

I have an Onyx Nova 2 and I like it quite a lot. It runs android and has access to the android ecosystem, so I can read my webnovels and mangas and even kindle books without needing to use any external applications like Calibre.

I read this comment on my Nova 2. It's a very nice capable device for tasks like web browsing, email, and note taking (either with the pen or Bluetooth keyboard).

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#67

Post by wombatmobile » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:55 PM UTC

MattPalmer1086 wrote: post #29

mmrezaie wrote: post #2

How are the alternatives. Although i will miss my collection of books but I'm going to be in the market for the next ebook reader.

I just switched from my Kindle Paperwhite to the Kobo Libra H2O and I really like it. It's easier to hold with dedicated page turn buttons, good lighting, and fast screen response time. Also water resistant and good battery life. So far I've been able to get all the books I've wanted, mostly from the Kobo store, but it can work with any open format.

What drove you to abandon your Kindle Paperwhite, MattPalmer1086?

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#68

Post by Shared404 » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:56 PM UTC

jihadjihad wrote: post #16

Just wait until they learn about the "behavioral reading" data collected by, oh I don't know, virtually every media site on the Internet.

The biggest difference in my mind is that the Kindle is hardware you purchase.

It has no need to be sending that much data, including attempting to find out the local IP.

The article stated that a few seconds of usage sent 100 requests to Amazon servers. I'm fairly certain that most websites don't make quite as many requests as the tablet did.

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#69

Post by hohohn » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:56 PM UTC

Despoisj wrote: post #38

As a former Kindle developer, I can say that most of what's mentioned in this article are metrics used to understand how the features are used (bookmarks, highlights, dictionnary, etc.), how much they are used, and in which country. This allows the teams to focus on features that are actively used, and sometimes lead to discontinuing features that see little to no use. Hope that helps.

That's how every company rationalizes the mass collection of user data. "Oh lets collect many terabytes of every user-action in case we need to one day discontinue a feature".

It's a book. You don't need to collect and track every fucking action I do to find out if your stupid highlighter is being used in Poland.

Re: Kindle collects a surprisingly large amount of data

#70

Post by neiman » Tue, Aug 25, 2020, 1:56 PM UTC

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #52

Despoisj wrote: post #38

As a former Kindle developer, I can say that most of what's mentioned in this article are metrics used to understand how the features are used (bookmarks, highlights, dictionnary, etc.), how much they are used, and in which country. This allows the teams to focus on features that are actively used, and sometimes lead to discontinuing features that see little to no use. Hope that helps.

I think the privacy-concerned end-user thinks, "Yes, I completely understand why this information is being tracked and how it would be useful to Amazon. But I still don't like it."

As a freedom-concerned citizen, I always completely understood the policies and methodology of dictators and tyrants, and how what they do is useful for them.