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

[Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>]

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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