E-Book Readers and Privacy

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released Who'sTracking Your Reading Habits? An E-Book Buyer's Guide to Privacy, 2012 Edition. EFF looked at the policies of Google Books, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, Sony, Overdrive, Indiebound, Internet Archive, and Adobe Content Server and created a chart with answers to the following questions:

  •Can they keep track of searches for books?

 •Can they monitor what you're reading and how you're reading it after purchase and link that information back to you? Can they do that when the e-book is obtained elsewhere?

 •What compatibility does the device have with books not purchased from an associated eBook store?

 •Do they keep a record of book purchases? Can they track book purchases or acquisitions made from other sources?

 •With whom can they share the information collected in non-aggregated form?

 •Do they have mechanisms for customers to access, correct, or delete the information?

 •Can they share information outside the company without the customer's consent?