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is the ability for the content owners to change what's on your reader, ie to change "edition" without you necessarily knowing it.

If you don't own what's on your ebook, and don't even control what's on it, the potential for manipulation is immense.

I've been offered an ebook a while back but have not even bothered to try to use it.

::

Oh - welcome back, De, thanks for the thoughtful diary!

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Mon Jan 11th, 2010 at 08:28:25 AM EST
That's a matter of law and practice. That's what government is for. Is the danger of automatic updates greater than the benefit? Does it depend on the book?
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Mon Jan 11th, 2010 at 10:46:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
How about version control? We're talking decorated text here. File size is negligible.

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jan 11th, 2010 at 11:00:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]
but if I buy an Amazon Kindle, will it be subject to French or US law? Or another one?

It's certainly more worrisome for some texts than others. There's already been the case of a book being taken off the kindle by Amazon remotely from people that had already paid for it, because of a copyright fight.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Mon Jan 11th, 2010 at 11:12:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That's what global governance is for.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Mon Jan 11th, 2010 at 01:03:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
... to be a prediction of exactly what government will not do.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.
by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Mon Jan 11th, 2010 at 04:03:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's what government is for.
 

Writing from the US, I must say you redouble the point of Jerome's concern, rather than qualifying it.  

The Fates are kind.

by Gaianne on Tue Jan 12th, 2010 at 12:01:15 AM EST
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