slightly-OT: Adobe records your every move!

slightly-OT: Adobe records your every move!

[Alan BRASLAU]

E-book specialists, beware:

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/adobes-e-book-reader-sends-your-reading-logs-back-to-adobe-in-plain-text/

Alan
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Re: slightly-OT: Adobe records your every move!

[Hans Hagen]

On 10/16/2014 8:04 PM, Alan BRASLAU wrote:
> E-book specialists, beware:
>
> http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/adobes-e-book-reader-sends-your-reading-logs-back-to-adobe-in-plain-text/

afaik not only adobe but also other devices do this ... (which is why i 
will never buy an ebook from one of the big ones ... in fact none at all 
till I know for sure the reading process will not be tracked)

the next step is that they adapt the content to your reading speed and 
how long you stay on a page

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Formula-Algorithms-Solve-Problems-Create/dp/0753541688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413531702&sr=1-1

but better not buy it at amazon as they are the masters of tracking your 
personal live

> Alan
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>


-- 

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                                           Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
               Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
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Re: slightly-OT: Adobe records your every move!

[Hans Hagen]

On 10/16/2014 8:04 PM, Alan BRASLAU wrote:
> E-book specialists, beware:
>
> http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/adobes-e-book-reader-sends-your-reading-logs-back-to-adobe-in-plain-text/

I think that in the end self-publishing will take over most of the 
market. Of course we will then have a decaded of mess due to also 
licencing issues but in the end authors will figure out that getting rid 
of distribution pays off in revenues. (I just in the paper read about a 
band that made more of 20K self sold copies of a cd then 200K via a 
company).

Anyway:

* User ID: this is the user's Adobe ID or an anonymous ID for an 
unactivated version of DE.

I assume one can change the anonymous ID with some help

* Device ID: a unique identifier for the computer running DE, "collected 
for digital right management (DRM) purposes since publishers typically 
restrict the number of devices an eBook or digital publication can be 
read on," Adobe's spokesperson said.

So what if a machine breaks down (these devices are made to break down 
... much faster than paper)

* Certified App ID: a key that allows DE to open documents protected by 
DRM from being opened with unauthorized software.

It's like enforcing a special kind of reading glasses.

* Device IP address: for geo-location, "since publishers have different 
pricing models in place depending on the location of the reader 
purchasing a given eBook or digital publication," Adobe's spokesperson said.

Ha, so best not travel around i.e. the biggest argument for ebooks is 
that you can take them in the plane. So better not do that.

* Duration for Which the Book was Read: "This information is collected 
to facilitate limited or metered pricing models where publishers or 
distributors charge readers based on the duration a book is read," said 
Adobe's spokesperson.

Pure crap ... how about disabilities? Reading speed? Next comes the 
demand for a camera so that they can see who's reading over your shoulder.

* Percentage of the Book Read: Believe it or not, some publishers charge 
based on how much you read of a book—you may be only charged a 
percentage of the total if you don't finish it.

Who believes this indeed. They should add "if you didn't like it or 
didn't understand the content".

Nothing about giving away such a book, a second hand market, etc ... It 
all sounds more like panic reactions than real concepts to me.

Last week we got the yearly invoice for 'copying stuff' because we have 
a copier. The proudly announced new thing is that we now also can scan, 
email and look at files on our intranet ... funny because I never copy 
something except our own produced crap. (Like paying extra on blank 
dvd's that i only occasionally use to copy a free OS on for installing 
on some old machine.)

The main question is: What do users expect? As we can produce (kind of) 
ebooks, do we need to adapt output to this? Of can we disguise it?

Bah,

Hans

-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
               Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
     tel: 038 477 53 69 | voip: 087 875 68 74 | www.pragma-ade.com
                                              | www.pragma-pod.nl
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: slightly-OT: Adobe records your every move!

[Alan BRASLAU]

Of course, Big Brother is watching us all.
(and the NSA has long identified the present mailing list as carrying
subversive information...)

Yes, we (in Europe, perhaps elsewhere?) get to pay a tax for copying
our own data on CDs/DVDs, just like most pay a tax to Bill when buying
hardware, even if we intend on installing *powerful antivirus software*
(rather than your favorite OS;-).

I started this thread as ConTeXt is quite capable of producing e-book
texts; We discussed this at the recent ConTeXt meeting and spoke some
on the future of publishing. So we need to be aware of these issues and
how e-books are being used and where they are going. (I am sure that
Apple has recorded now what I have read on my iPad:
mkiv-publications.epub!) Maybe the next step for Sanjoy to think about
is recording what pages (or indeed what words) his students linger-over
or re-read several times as another way of identifying difficult
passages in a text. (One then will not even have to actively ask
questions...)

Alan

P.S. I attended a presentation on computer security given at my company
by a speaker from the French intelligence agency. Amongst other things,
he demonstrated using a special little standard-looking USB key how one
can easily scan EVERYTHING on your computer without you noticing
anything: just plugging it into your computer was sufficient. He even
showed that plugging in his cell-phone for a little bit "just to
recharge it" did the job too. Just as plugging an audience member's
cell phone into his little USB charger was also able to record all of
its contents. Fast too! Quite interesting. Then there is also wifi...

Furthermore, his message is that we now voluntarily reveal much more
information about ourselves then even the police are allowed to obtain.
In the "wrong hands" this information can eventually go a long way...





On Fri, 17 Oct 2014 10:07:59 +0200
Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl> wrote:

> On 10/16/2014 8:04 PM, Alan BRASLAU wrote:
> > E-book specialists, beware:
> >
> > http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/adobes-e-book-reader-sends-your-reading-logs-back-to-adobe-in-plain-text/
> 
> I think that in the end self-publishing will take over most of the 
> market. Of course we will then have a decaded of mess due to also 
> licencing issues but in the end authors will figure out that getting
> rid of distribution pays off in revenues. (I just in the paper read
> about a band that made more of 20K self sold copies of a cd then 200K
> via a company).
> 
> Anyway:
> 
> * User ID: this is the user's Adobe ID or an anonymous ID for an 
> unactivated version of DE.
> 
> I assume one can change the anonymous ID with some help
> 
> * Device ID: a unique identifier for the computer running DE,
> "collected for digital right management (DRM) purposes since
> publishers typically restrict the number of devices an eBook or
> digital publication can be read on," Adobe's spokesperson said.
> 
> So what if a machine breaks down (these devices are made to break
> down ... much faster than paper)
> 
> * Certified App ID: a key that allows DE to open documents protected
> by DRM from being opened with unauthorized software.
> 
> It's like enforcing a special kind of reading glasses.
> 
> * Device IP address: for geo-location, "since publishers have
> different pricing models in place depending on the location of the
> reader purchasing a given eBook or digital publication," Adobe's
> spokesperson said.
> 
> Ha, so best not travel around i.e. the biggest argument for ebooks is 
> that you can take them in the plane. So better not do that.
> 
> * Duration for Which the Book was Read: "This information is
> collected to facilitate limited or metered pricing models where
> publishers or distributors charge readers based on the duration a
> book is read," said Adobe's spokesperson.
> 
> Pure crap ... how about disabilities? Reading speed? Next comes the 
> demand for a camera so that they can see who's reading over your
> shoulder.
> 
> * Percentage of the Book Read: Believe it or not, some publishers
> charge based on how much you read of a book—you may be only charged a 
> percentage of the total if you don't finish it.
> 
> Who believes this indeed. They should add "if you didn't like it or 
> didn't understand the content".
> 
> Nothing about giving away such a book, a second hand market, etc ...
> It all sounds more like panic reactions than real concepts to me.
> 
> Last week we got the yearly invoice for 'copying stuff' because we
> have a copier. The proudly announced new thing is that we now also
> can scan, email and look at files on our intranet ... funny because I
> never copy something except our own produced crap. (Like paying extra
> on blank dvd's that i only occasionally use to copy a free OS on for
> installing on some old machine.)
> 
> The main question is: What do users expect? As we can produce (kind
> of) ebooks, do we need to adapt output to this? Of can we disguise it?
> 
> Bah,
> 
> Hans
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archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________