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They stem mostly from not being able to read anonymously, and from the concern of DRM and the potential issues with Amazon being able to revoke the Kindle books

They stem mostly from not being able to read anonymously, and from the concern of DRM and the potential issues with Amazon being able to revoke the Kindle books you purchase. Everything else apart, while this is a reasonable concern, it is also an addressable concern. The Amazon DRM is weak, known and can be decrypted. It take minimal research to set this up, and then circumvention is merely a click away. This means that while Amazon some time in the future can revoke your access to purchases you've made for whatever reason (even though I doubt they will), they cannot revoke you from using the DRM-free copies you've created once you've stripped the DRM from your original purchases.

khc 12y ago
I used to be concerned about this, and then I realized: if Amazon revokes my access to the e-books/movies I legally purchased, I will just go download pirated copies. Why do that kind of backups myself when the internet is already doing it for me?
- alttab 12y ago
  It provides a narrow legal shield if in the case you get popped by the FEDs for owning or distributing copywritten material. "But Feds, I paid for this copy, just stripped the DRM off of it."
- sroerick 12y ago
  I'm a huge supporter of piracy but I personally prefer to boycott any non-free ebooks or movies instead. It's easy to break the technological norms that protect books. It's a lot tougher to break the cultural ones.
dublinben 12y ago
I used to justify my Amazon book purchases this way, but then I realized it wasn't worth it. Removing DRM is illegal already, and so is downloading a copy for free. I don't want to support a company that uses DRM with my money, whether its easy to crack or not. Now I only buy DRM-free books, and find the rest elsewhere.
sroerick 12y ago
Under the DMCA, circumvention of DRM is a violation of the law. You may as well just pirate everything. You can address this concern technologically, but can you do it culturally? Not to mention, what happens when you forget to strip out the DRM and Amazon [revokes your books.](http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/ http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-m...) Are you really suggesting that you strip the DRM out from every book your purchase from Amazon? (Though, feel free not to incriminate yourself on the internet while responding.)
- josteink 12y ago
  Obviously yes. I demand to be able to own that which I buy. Same for digital goods and digital devices/appliances. I want open formats and the ability to flash open firmware. Lucky for me, where I live, that is not a crime.

khc 12y ago

I used to be concerned about this, and then I realized: if Amazon revokes my access to the e-books/movies I legally purchased, I will just go download pirated copies. Why do that kind of backups myself when the internet is already doing it for me?

alttab 12y ago
It provides a narrow legal shield if in the case you get popped by the FEDs for owning or distributing copywritten material. "But Feds, I paid for this copy, just stripped the DRM off of it."
sroerick 12y ago
I'm a huge supporter of piracy but I personally prefer to boycott any non-free ebooks or movies instead. It's easy to break the technological norms that protect books. It's a lot tougher to break the cultural ones.

dublinben 12y ago

I used to justify my Amazon book purchases this way, but then I realized it wasn't worth it. Removing DRM is illegal already, and so is downloading a copy for free. I don't want to support a company that uses DRM with my money, whether its easy to crack or not. Now I only buy DRM-free books, and find the rest elsewhere.

sroerick 12y ago

Under the DMCA, circumvention of DRM is a violation of the law. You may as well just pirate everything. You can address this concern technologically, but can you do it culturally? Not to mention, what happens when you forget to strip out the DRM and Amazon [revokes your books.](http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/ http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-m...) Are you really suggesting that you strip the DRM out from every book your purchase from Amazon? (Though, feel free not to incriminate yourself on the internet while responding.)

josteink 12y ago
Obviously yes. I demand to be able to own that which I buy. Same for digital goods and digital devices/appliances. I want open formats and the ability to flash open firmware. Lucky for me, where I live, that is not a crime.