Adobe Digital Editions version 4 warning

[JusMe]

For those who enjoy ebooks, as I do, this came as quite an eye-opener. I checked, and my edition is the older version 3, and I definitely will not be updating.

For some reasons (not heard to figure out if one thinks of money) the new version of ADB collects information of what pages are read and in what order from what books you have and sends this info back to a server. Sounds incredibly detailed - not only what books you're reading, but the pages? Apparently the new ADB actually scans the computer to check what other books you might have there, too!

Just a bit of a heads up for all of the ebook readers. Sure made me check what version I'm using.

[thaimite]

Thanks.

I saw this a while ago and I would be surprised if the Amazon Kindle software was any less nosey.

I believe the article I saw also stated that all this information is also sent in plain text format leaving it open for anyone to view.

This is one reason why the first thing I do if I buy any book with DRM is feed it through the Calibre DRM plug-in to remove all protection and allow me to annonomously read read the book on any software I choose., especially software that does not report every p[age turn back top its masters, and scan your PC whilst doing so.

[dddave]

"This is one reason why the first thing I do if I buy any book with DRM is feed it through the Calibre DRM plug-in to remove all protection and allow me to annonomously read read the book on any software I choose., especially software that does not report every p[age turn back top its masters, and scan your PC whilst doing so."

When you do this, does your device still go directly to the last page read when you open a book, reading already in progress?

[thaimite]

"This is one reason why the first thing I do if I buy any book with DRM is feed it through the Calibre DRM plug-in to remove all protection and allow me to annonomously read read the book on any software I choose., especially software that does not report every p[age turn back top its masters, and scan your PC whilst doing so."

When you do this, does your device still go directly to the last page read when you open a book, reading already in progress?

Yes, but it will not synchroise between devices e.g. If I am reading a book on my phone and then switch to my tab it will open at the last place viewed on the tab and not the phone

[JusMe]

This is one reason why the first thing I do if I buy any book with DRM is feed it through the Calibre DRM plug-in to remove all protection and allow me to annonomously read read the book on any software I choose., especially software that does not report every p[age turn back top its masters, and scan your PC whilst doing so.

I didn't think Calibre had any DRM removal facility. I use totally separate software to remove it when I download a protected book, usually just for convenience, and will upon occasion convert format using Calibre, but you're saying it has a plug-in for DRM removal?

Any more info on that?

[thaimite]

This is one reason why the first thing I do if I buy any book with DRM is feed it through the Calibre DRM plug-in to remove all protection and allow me to annonomously read read the book on any software I choose., especially software that does not report every p[age turn back top its masters, and scan your PC whilst doing so.

I didn't think Calibre had any DRM removal facility. I use totally separate software to remove it when I download a protected book, usually just for convenience, and will upon occasion convert format using Calibre, but you're saying it has a plug-in for DRM removal?

Any more info on that?

All the information you require on how to install and use the DRM removal tools in Calibre can be found here.

Once installed the operation of these tools is totally invisible to the user and any new book added to the library will have its DRM (if there is any) removed in the background.

NOTE it will not mremove DRM from books already in the library. To do this you must delete the book from the library and re-add it.

[canuckamuck]

I can't understand why there isn't a consumer backlash against all of the personal info phishing by major software developers.

Thank you Thaimite for the tip about calibre

[JusMe]

For some reason, my Calibre is now opening in what seems to look like Arabic! Some of the items and menu items are in both English and that script, but some are only in that strange script. I have no idea what's causing that, but at least I rarely use Calibre, so it's not going to be a problem until I have to convert form one format to another.

Anyone have any idea about how to revert to a clear English version?

[thaimite]

For some reason, my Calibre is now opening in what seems to look like Arabic! Some of the items and menu items are in both English and that script, but some are only in that strange script. I have no idea what's causing that, but at least I rarely use Calibre, so it's not going to be a problem until I have to convert form one format to another.

Anyone have any idea about how to revert to a clear English version?

It appears as if you have accidently set your user interface language incorrectly..

This is easy changed in the preferences, Alternatively yuou could re-run the initial setup wizard bu following these steps which are documented here.

- move the curson to the "Preferences" (the icon looks as "setting icon"), don't double click, pop the pull down menu, you will see

" change calibre behavior"

" Run welcome wizard"

- click on "run welcome wizard"

It will pop the window welcome wizard that allow you to change from

current language to any difference languages...

then you can go back and forth...

Hopefully, it helps...

[JusMe]

I solved that "language" problem the easy way. I simply deleted everything related to Calibre, including all the preferences (delete software searches and dumps everything in the trash for me).

Then, as it's free software and requires no password or registration, I just downloaded the latest version and installed it with the basic wizard set up.

All's looking good now!

[thaimite]

I see Adobe have updated their software so at east now they spy in private!! The following is an excerpt[t from this link.

"Adobe has tweaked its Digital Editions 4 desktop ebook reader to now encrypt the data it secretly sends back to headquarters – data that details a user's reading habits.

Previously, information on every single tome accessed by Digital Editions 4 was phoned home unencrypted, allowing anyone eavesdropping on a network to intercept it. Now that information is transmitted via HTTPS, and only if the book includes copy-protection measures.

Version 4.0 of the software collected detailed records about books the user has been reading, such as which pages were read and when, and sent this intelligence back to the adelogs.adobe.com server. There was no way to opt out of this, short of deleting the application."

IMHO this does not change much and I will continue to avoid Adobe Digital Editions and such like when ever possible.

On a related note are you aware Amazon is able to delete or modify any books in your Kindle library at a whim? See this link for more details. Imagine a regular book seller coming to your home and taking your books back without asking as they should not have sold them to you!