Who's Tracking Your Reading Habits? An E-Book Buyer's Guide to Privacy, 2012 Edition

Cindy Cohn & Parker Higgins:

The holiday shopping season is upon us, and once again e-book readers promise to be a very popular gift. Last year's holiday season saw ownership of a dedicated e-reader device spike to nearly 1 in 5 Americans, and that number is poised to go even higher. But if you're in the market for an e-reader this year, or for e-books to read on one that you already own, you might want to know who's keeping an eye on your searching, shopping, and reading habits.

Unfortunately, unpacking the tracking and data-sharing practices of different e-reader platforms is far from simple. It can require reading through stacked license agreements and privacy policies for devices, software platforms, and e-book stores. That in turn can mean reading thousands of words of legalese before you read the first line of a new book.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 2, 2012 2:37 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas