Amazon's in ur library, stealin ur books
If you've been on the internet in the past 24 hours or so, you've probably heard about Linn and her confiscated Amazon books, but in case you've been hiding out, allow me to bring you up to speed.
Norwegian kindle user Linn discovered the other day that her entire kindle library had been wiped, her account closed, and the only explanation she got was a terse e-mail telling her that this and any other account she tries to open will be shut down because of some nebulous connection to "another account which has been previously closed for abuse of our policies." When she asked what account they were talking about and what abuse of policies she was being accused of, she wasn't given an answer.
While terms of DRM technically mean this sort of thing is within Amazon's legal right, the internet was outraged on Linn's behalf. Since then, Linn's account has been mysteriously re-opened and her e-books returned to her kindle, but it's not hard to imagine this is more a response to the larger-than-expected public outcry than in any real desire to make reparations.
Frankly, Amazon shutting down someone's account and deleting their kindle library doesn't surprise me at all. I am surprised, though, at the terrible public relations following the incident. That's usually one thing Amazon's people handle much more smoothly.
Of course this has raised concern and renewed conversation about DRM and purchasing e-books from major retailers where the books are linked to an account rather than kept in a personal file (Amazon's not the only one that functions this way). Realistically, I don't see it being more than a blip on the e-book takeover, although it's likely encouraged a few more people to start cracking the DRM on their new purchases.
Norwegian kindle user Linn discovered the other day that her entire kindle library had been wiped, her account closed, and the only explanation she got was a terse e-mail telling her that this and any other account she tries to open will be shut down because of some nebulous connection to "another account which has been previously closed for abuse of our policies." When she asked what account they were talking about and what abuse of policies she was being accused of, she wasn't given an answer.
While terms of DRM technically mean this sort of thing is within Amazon's legal right, the internet was outraged on Linn's behalf. Since then, Linn's account has been mysteriously re-opened and her e-books returned to her kindle, but it's not hard to imagine this is more a response to the larger-than-expected public outcry than in any real desire to make reparations.
Frankly, Amazon shutting down someone's account and deleting their kindle library doesn't surprise me at all. I am surprised, though, at the terrible public relations following the incident. That's usually one thing Amazon's people handle much more smoothly.
Of course this has raised concern and renewed conversation about DRM and purchasing e-books from major retailers where the books are linked to an account rather than kept in a personal file (Amazon's not the only one that functions this way). Realistically, I don't see it being more than a blip on the e-book takeover, although it's likely encouraged a few more people to start cracking the DRM on their new purchases.