Kindle Conspiracy (Dun Dun Dun!!)

Resource Review #7
Pilgrim, Mark. (November 19, 2007)."The Future of Reading (A Play in Six Acts)." diveintomark. Retrieved from: http://diveintomark.org/archives/2007/11/19/the-future-of-reading

The Future of Reading

This article points out some of the same issues discussed earlier in the Kindle and Libraries entry, such as Amazon's lending policy. However, Pilgrim goes to the extreme claiming that Kindle's capabilities could easily lead to some sort of totalitarian conspiracy. The main issue he points out are the control Amazon continues to have over downloaded content in Kindles. Amazon touts the ability to edit downloaded content as a positive thing. For example, if there is a typo in one edition, Amazon can fix the problem without any fuss. On the other hand, as Pilgrim argues, Amazon has the capacity to change historical documents or controversial material on a whim. Amazon can even remove material, as Kindle users found out earlier this year.

This blog, though a bit out there, does make some valid points about the power that Amazon holds over digital information. Earlier this semester I read The Search by John Battelle which is an overview of Google--the company's history, what they are up to now, and what they are planning for the future. It was a facinating read, but also a bit disturbing. The thought of all of the information Google has stored about each user, and all the control they have over information was eye-opening to say the least. Maybe I've seen too many bad sci-fi/conspiracy theory movies, but the thought of any entity owning that much of the market and possessing that much control makes me nervious. Amazon also wields much control, particularly over Kindle users.

There are also links in the blog to Kindle's terms of service and a very interesting interview with a number of important players in the ebook movement including Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos. In his interview, Bezos comments on the cultural importance of books and the potential that ereaders have to change the future of reading. This is a very in depth article, and it was helpful to read an insider's thoughts on Amazon's new venture.

Resource review #8

Manjoo, Farhad. (July 20, 2009). "Why 2024 Will Be Like Nineteen Eighty-Four." Slate Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.slate.com/id/2223214/?obref=obinsite

Why 2024 Will Be Like Nineteen Eighty-Four

Here is an example, there were some books that had been illegally uploaded to Amazon's store. So, Amazon removed the books and gave customers a refund. Ironically the books removed included controversial titles by Ayn Rand, and George Orwell. An online article by Farhad Manjoo in Slate Magazine delves deeper into the shady area of ownership and access to digital materials that Amazon and libraries are both trying to navigate. the rest of the title is: "How Amazon's remote deletion of ebooks from the Kindle paves the way for book-banning's digital future." Amazon and other companies continue to have ownership of digital products purchased, which makes them vastly different from print versions. If someone had inserted illegal copies of 1984 in a bookstore and they were purchased, the bookstore would not have the right to confiscate the books from the owners. Likewise, if there is a book that contains historically inaccurate or controversial material those words are saved for posterity, not erased and rewritten.

In their defense, Amazon did realize their mistake and issued a statement to their customers saying: "'When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers' devices, and refunded customers,' the company said in an e-mailed statement. 'We are changing our systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers' devices in these circumstances"( Informationweek). The "in these circumstances'" does leave room to do similar deletions in the future, though Amazon will be treading carefully due to all of the negative publicity concerning this issue.

This report was interesting because it explained the circumstances surrounding the deletion of books from Kindles and the repurcussions thereof. There is obviously more going on than a simple bootlegging issue. Amazon hopefully has a similar stance with Google's moto "Don't Be Evil" (though Google hasn't necessarily stuck to thier guns as much as people would hope-eg. censorship in China). I am all for embracing and utilizing new technology, but there has to be some caution, and checks put into place to keep absolute power from currupting absolutely. Hopefully all of these conspiracy theories are just that: theories.