But tucked into the dozens of files were also two Excel spreadsheets, more than 20,000 lines each, with titles, time stamps and actions detailing my reading habits on the Kindle app on my iPhone.
Other habits tracked included the times I copied excerpts from books into my iPhone’s clipboard and how often I looked up definitions of words in Kindle’s attached dictionary.
Even the time of day I read or the speed at which I turn pages can provide insights on personal traits, said Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
Though Amazon says it is not currently sharing the insights gleaned from reading habits with anyone else, that the company holds on to the data shows it could be used in the future, said Alastair Mactaggart, an advocate who co-wrote the ballot measure behind the California Consumer Privacy Act.
“There is no reason Amazon or any other company needs to collect that kind of information to provide you with the service, which is simply reading a book,” said Evan Greer, the director at privacy activist group Fight for the Future.
While more tech-savvy users can attempt to alter the Kindle device or app to prevent tracking, the average reader can do little to escape Amazon’s reach.
The original article contains 945 words, the summary contains 208 words. Saved 78%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
But tucked into the dozens of files were also two Excel spreadsheets, more than 20,000 lines each, with titles, time stamps and actions detailing my reading habits on the Kindle app on my iPhone.
Other habits tracked included the times I copied excerpts from books into my iPhone’s clipboard and how often I looked up definitions of words in Kindle’s attached dictionary.
Even the time of day I read or the speed at which I turn pages can provide insights on personal traits, said Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
Though Amazon says it is not currently sharing the insights gleaned from reading habits with anyone else, that the company holds on to the data shows it could be used in the future, said Alastair Mactaggart, an advocate who co-wrote the ballot measure behind the California Consumer Privacy Act.
“There is no reason Amazon or any other company needs to collect that kind of information to provide you with the service, which is simply reading a book,” said Evan Greer, the director at privacy activist group Fight for the Future.
While more tech-savvy users can attempt to alter the Kindle device or app to prevent tracking, the average reader can do little to escape Amazon’s reach.
The original article contains 945 words, the summary contains 208 words. Saved 78%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
…don’t buy amazon branded? Or, get this…buy physical books if you don’t want to be tracked while reading.