Censorship through Kindle and Other Devices

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.
Francis Bacon (1561-1626), philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, and author.

The joys of reading and the agony of censorship, which almost half the population seems to be okay with, can be experienced by readers who own a Kindle.

If you had downloaded George Orwell’s famous novels “1984” and “Animal Farm” you no longer have them on your Kindle because the publisher decided it did not want to give the rights to Kindle, so Amazon.com used its wireless connection to each Kindle to delete copies on the owners' Kindles and refunded their money.

If you have decided to call your friends on your iPhone or other network tethered devices you need not feel so superior.

Daughter sent THIS to me and you too should read it and be aware:

"tethered appliances," that is, appliances like the Kindle and the iPhone that feature a combination of hardware and software services connected by a network. The manufacturer of the tethered appliance can easily discover what consumers are doing with the product, can restrict what end-users do with the hardware, and can alert the features of the product by remote control. It simultaneously offers the possibility of privacy invasions and retroactive alterations of features. The Kindle story shows that it also offers the possibility of private censorship.

A Chilling Effect

I have often thought that if a rational Fascist dictatorship were to exist, then it would choose the American system.
Noam Chomsky, U.S. linguist, political analyst

The lumbering wheels of justice rolled up to my house (as Michael Corleone said: "IN MY HOME! Where my wife sleeps... and my children play with their toys.") and it has had a chilling effect. I am not going to discuss now, but I am very bothered and rather outraged, once I got over my initial shock and fear.

This chilling effect has made me suspect that my First Amendment rights are not so secure unless I have Paris Hilton’s legal counsel. All this makes me hesitate to write in my usual over the top style.

In any case, I’ll attempt to write again and try to ignore the feeling that someone is watching and trying to salvage their wreckage off my observations.