[Web4lib] Amazon Deletes Orwell from Kindles

[Larry Campbell]

I know this is a bit late on this but:

Once they get over the idea that ebooks are "just" books, people then 
need to get over the idea that making products digital gives vendors the 
right to mess with their customers in any way the technology allows. The 
mere fact that it becomes possible for vendors to change outdated 
information *with* the understanding and agreement of their customers 
does not imply, either logically or morally, that vendors are or should 
be free to make content disappear  *without* said understanding and 
agreement. I.e., you can indeed have the DLC arguing for updating 
content on e-textbooks and *not* "also have Amazon deleting or changing 
books without your permission". Doing so, however, would require, as 
Johnathan Zittrain says 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/opinion/20zittrain.html?_r=1>, "a 
little effort and political will".

Larry Campbell

Tim Spalding wrote:

>People need to get over the idea that ebooks are "just" books. Just
>because you can read it, doesn't mean it's the same thing. Books are
>socially and legally situated. You can't change the delivery and legal
>structure, and expect everything else to remain the same.
>
>For good or ill—and there's much good here—ebooks are digital
>products. You can't have the Democratic Leadership Council arguing for
>Kindles to replace textbooks so that outdated information can be
>changed instantly*, and not also have Amazon deleting or changing
>books without your permission. Digitization has a logic of its own.
>
>There's a lot of good things about the coming ebook world. We probably
>don't know all the good things. But we do know some bad things, like
>this and the death of bookstores and libraries. From where I sit now,
>these along, without the added worry of centralized control over
>information, give me real pause.
>
>Tim
>
>*As if the problem with American textbooks were the failure to be
>up-to-date, rather than being absolutely wretched.
>
>
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