"Kindled"

My obsession to e-readers deserves another journal entry. So far I discussed the emergence of e-readers and its potential as a book replacement  and the piracy issues manufacturers might face in the future. 

This journal entry is devoted to the Kindle Orwell issue which occurred last July 2009. The fiasco started when Amazon surreptitiously deleted purchased digital copies of George Orwell’s books, “1984” and “Animal Farm” from the Kindle devices of its patrons. The deletion of the e-books was caused by an automatic software update in the Kindle which is activated whenever an internet connection is available. If both software update and internet connection are available, users do not have the option of refusing the installation of that update. Kindle users who were expecting a software upgrade were surprised to discover that the Orwell books were removed from their Kindles without their consent. 

According to Amazon, the Orwell books were added to the Kindle store by a company that did not have rights to them. Upon notification of the rights holder, Amazon immediately deleted the e-books in their website and in their customers’ devices. They gave a refund and publicly apologized for their wrong. All’s well, ends well? Of course not.

There are a lot of issues to be threshed out. One issue is whether an e-reader manufacturer may remotely manage the contents of a purchased device. The use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, which allows post sale control of licensed media, gives rise to privacy and ownership issues. It is unnerving to think that my e-reader can automatically connect to another computer and send information of its contents. The use of e-readers as an example is limiting so let us use a Cellular Phone with Personal Data Assistant (PDA) function as an example. What would then stop the manufacturer or the government from getting my personal data without my consent? If the Phone is equipped with Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), what would stop them from knowing my exact location? 

With respect to the ownership issue, a contract of sale to a person transmits all ownership rights including JUS UTENDI or the right to use the property. With DRM technology and compulsory software updates, the jus utendi of an e-reader is crippled as undue censorship rears its ugly head. Big Brother must be proud.

The Kindle Orwell incident demonstrates the ability of technology to manage your device remotely without consent. For some, this should be a good reason to buy an Internet-less device. Some, however, may choose not to sacrifice the internet capability of the device and carry the risk of being “kindled” (for the lack of a better term).