As you buy and read eBooks, your eBook device collects data on your reading habits. Do you tend to buy lots of books and only finish a small percentage? Do you stick with a single author? Do you binge-read?
This family of data is useful to publishers and authors, but it sits in the virtual hands of the eReader software. Over time, the eBook companies will figure out a way to monetize that data, either by selling/renting the data itself, or by using the data to enrich the experience of their devices and to make it easier for their customers to spend more money.
Interesting article. I suspect this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The worrisome thing is not that they do that (it was only a matter of time), the worrisome thing is that this is neither opt-in nor transparent. The never-ending sense of entitlement of cheap internet users has finally led to a suitable reaction. Privacy is not even on anybody’s roadmap anymore.
When some US and EU politicians asked for detailed privacy statements for each single app, I initially thought that this was overreaching… I now have to admit that this is indeed required. At least that leaves me a chance to just not use something.
Not so much worried about the effect on literature; truly good authors do not target an audience, they write the books they have to write.