Amazon Kindle removes download feature of purchased books: Difference between revisions
Added description of the USB restrictions which tie into why Download&Transfer is going away |
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This example of '''posthumous editing of literature''' demonstrates a broader trend of '''corporate-controlled content revision''' where publishers, rather than readers, decide what is deemed acceptable, and people who buy ebooks exercise no real ownership over what they bought and paid for. | This example of '''posthumous editing of literature''' demonstrates a broader trend of '''corporate-controlled content revision''' where publishers, rather than readers, decide what is deemed acceptable, and people who buy ebooks exercise no real ownership over what they bought and paid for. | ||
==USB Restrictions== | |||
In 2023, Amazon changed how their Kindle devices interact with computers from a raw view of a file system<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_mass_storage_device_class</ref> to a filtered view using the MTP (Media Transfer Protocol)<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Transfer_Protocol</ref><ref>https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4352640</ref>. | |||
MTP requires support on the operating system. Amazon had to provide macOS software to communicate with Kindles<ref>https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=364580</ref>, and even Windows users had some issues. This change made download and transfer more complex for newer devices. | |||
This change means that all files transferred to the device will have to pass through a software filter running on the device before being accepted. Currently, this filtering is ineffective as demonstrated by WinterBreak which uses the exposed HTML cache. Future software revisions can and will add restrictions, especially to "improve security." | |||
Amazon has been pushing for content to go through Send-To-Kindle<ref>https://www.amazon.com/sendtokindle</ref>instead of USB. This allows Amazon to restrict the usage of Kindle devices to display illicit content. | |||
==Issue Summary== | ==Issue Summary== | ||