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Congressmen Worried About Amazon Silk Privacy Issues

Posted by Soulskill on from the not-that-they-know-what-those-issues-are dept.

suraj.sun sends this quote from an article at Ars: "Congress is trying to wrap its collective head around Amazon's new Silk Web browser. At a privacy hearing yesterday, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) expressed outrage at the way Silk's 'split' design can funnel all user browsing data through Amazon's backend servers. 'My staff yesterday told me that one of our leading Internet companies, Amazon, is going to create their own server and their own system and they're going to force everybody that uses Amazon to go through their server and they're going to collect all this information on each person who does that without that person's knowledge. Enough is enough.' Today came a similar shot from the other side of the aisle, with Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) dashing off a letter (PDF) to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos about the same privacy concerns. 'Consumers may buy the new Kindle Fire to read 1984, but they may not realize that the tablet's "Big Browser" may be watching their every keystroke when they are online,' Markey said in a statement."

21 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. If this is an issue... by AngryDeuce · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...then where is all the outrage over Facebook tracking you even when you're not signed in to Facebook? Why now, in other words, and why Amazon? How do they compare to what Facebook, Google, Apple, and others already do now?

    1. Re:If this is an issue... by AngryDeuce · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have a sneaking suspicion that this has a lot less to do with privacy, and a lot more to do with the sales tax fight. Guess they'd better add a few more zeros to their "lobbying" budget. Either that or they're not honoring the unwritten "matching donations" rule that requires Big Business to pay off both parties equally.

    2. Re:If this is an issue... by Runaway1956 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Uhhhh - yeah, I think they have bigger fish to fry in congress. But, this really is a congressional issue. Privacy has been encroached on for a couple of decades now. Especially with the un-Patriot act, and all the storms in teacups with the "terrorists". Yes, it's time for congress to address the issue of privacy for private citizens. Facebook, Amazon, nor any other corporation should be collecting information on citizens of the United States. (note the use of the word "citizen", rather than "consumer")

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    3. Re:If this is an issue... by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 2

      While we're at it, where is the outrage over everything you type in the Firefox address bar being sent to Google by default?

    4. Re:If this is an issue... by oakgrove · · Score: 2

      I stand corrected!

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    5. Re:If this is an issue... by vadim_t · · Score: 2

      The fucknuts in question actually was trying to argue that Windows users use start>>>run to launch all their programs and when pointed out that not only do users NEVER use start>>>run (hell I've never even met an admin that used start>>>run for program launching) but that as far as users are concerned there is NO CLI in Windows and I DARE anyone to prove me wrong. Do you HONESTLY think the majority of users use CLI in Windows?

      Here, meet one.

      Start/run/cmd/ipconfig is a very standard troubleshooting step. Usually the first thing I do when something network related is not working, and the first thing I ask the normal users to try to gather some information.

      Let's see, also net start/net stop commands, telnet, netstat, arp, runas, regsvr32, msc just off the top of my head.

      Of course, since the commandline sucks so badly on Windows more advanced usage is limited, but there you go. What little there is comes handy sometimes.
      But I will bet my last fucking dollar that EVERY Linux user DOES use CLI, how do I know this? it is simple, THEY HAVE NO CHOICE. They really don't. I have yet to have a single Linux user have the balls to take they Hairyfeet challenge, which is simply remove the CLI from the OS for just ONE year. That's all. If Linux can function without CLI, surely losing it a year won't be a great hardship?

      Why would I want to remove it? That's stupid. Some things are more comfortable on a CLI, and some on a GUI. I could do stuff like mass search/replace in a hundred files in a GUI, but then I'd need to find a specialized program for that, or mind numbingly do one at a time in a text editor.

      But you see THERE is the lie they so desperately want to hide, THERE is the ugly truth like Dorian and the painting they try to hide from the light. The TRUTH is this: Linux will not run without CLI and all your snarky remarks, all the lies and bullshit will NOT change this simple fact.

      Who's hiding anything? I use Linux in good part because it has a good CLI

      THIS is why you have no share, THIS is why you gain no traction, THIS is why the ONLY time Linux has gained ANY share was when Google simply stole it and told the community to go suck cock. What is Android? Why its all GUI, NO CLI, all clicky clicky easy, and it sells? Well surprise surprise, who would have fucking thought. Oh right, that would be me who has been saying that FOR A FUCKING DECADE NOW.

      And I'm supposed to care why exactly? I use whatever I like best, market share is irrelevant. I have a CLI on my phone btw (Nokia N900), android is too locked down for my liking.

    6. Re:If this is an issue... by vadim_t · · Score: 2

      This is a classic case of what we call "Moving the goalposts" which is frankly ALL Linux users can do. It is NO different than if I said "The Kia is a nice car" and you replied "You can't fly to Italy in a Kia!" Well WTF does THAT have to do with anything?

      Here, I'll spell it out, even make it bold so its easy, kay? here goes WE ARE TALKING ABOUT USERS not, in any particular order, hackers, crackers, admins, DBA, engineers, or the guy that wants an OS on his toaster, okay? Is that REALLY so fucking hard to follow?

      What moving of goalposts? You said, and I quote, "hell I've never even met an admin that used start>>>run for program launching)". So I replied to that.

      Do you HONESTLY believe that 90% of the fucking population use IPconfig? Because if so there is some penny stocks i think you should be interested in.

      Very likely, yes. At some point in their lives I'm pretty sure every user will have at least one instance of losing network connection for whatever reason, and support is very likely to ask them to run ipconfig.

      As for why you should remove it? simple because if your OS WORKS then it should function without it. I could remove CLI from Windows and OSX and guess what? the users would never know the difference and it would just keep happily chugging along. do that in Linux? It shits itself and dies hard and THAT is a fact. hell most of them won't even boot with Bash gone, another fact.

      So? Bash is needed for shell scripts. Windows also needs a huge amount of stuff most people never invoke manually, like regsvr32 and gacutil, and would also break if it was removed. I'm pretty sure OS X has shell scripts in it somewhere, and needs whatever shell it uses to run those.

      If you ever looked a bit under the hood, you'd see that Windows simple at all, and that there's plenty stuff that gets done and invoked behind the scenes. And yes, some Windows problem solutions involve very command line-ish actions like messing with registering DLLs and the registry editor.

      If you want to use CLI? cool, I know guys that prefer bell bottoms. what do you and they have in common? Both like things that are NEVER COMING BACK IN STYLE EVAR. In fact the bell bottom guys have better odds of making a come back than Linux has on the desktop!

      Your point being? I like it, so I use it. Your opinion is irrelevant.

      Just be honest with yourselves is that SOOOO much to ask for? Accept the fact that if you refuse to give the consumer what they want they WILL ignore you,simple as that. Stop all this "Linux is ready for the desktop!" horseshit, which you KNOW is horseshit BTW, because there is no way in hell the 90% are gonna back to fiddly 70s era term bullshit, stop pretending that users use start>>>run to launch programs, or that Windows USERS, not admins, not DBAs, but users, actually give a fuck or even know where the fuck the CLI is on their OS, and accept that you will ALWAYS be last place, and frankly that is where you deserve to be.

      Modern Linux distros don't require usage of it, though it's certainly still there if you want it.

      Its REALLY simple, give the people what they want and they will buy your product, you don't do that. Instead you think you can get the world to go back to 70s terms, embrace CLI "Fixes" and forum dances, 6 month deathmarches and all the included driver borkage, and frankly it makes you look more than a little insane. Want share? KILL CLI DEAD.

      Nope. CLI fixes are actually most convenient, because troubleshooting GUIs is such a monumental pain in the ass. You'd know it if you ever tried to explain somebody how to configure a network over the phone. Multiple OS versions with different UIs, different languages, people doing weird stuff like moving the taskbar to the side... it's an enormous pain in the ass. CLI is mu

  2. I wish by Osgeld · · Score: 2

    The whole personal information collection bubble would just pop already, how much useless data can they collect to try and target ad's you block or ignore anyway?

    1. Re:I wish by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2

      A story(CNET; but enough company names to fire up google).

      The technology is actually damn clever, ultrasonic emitter with carefully tuned wave interaction creating audible sounds only at a specific point, total sci-fi stuff; but using it to beam ghostly whispers into pedestrian's heads was pretty tactless of them.

  3. turn it off by XaXXon · · Score: 4, Informative

    seriously.. just turn it off

    In an email, an Amazon spokesperson said "users can completely turn off the split-browsing mode and use Amazon Silk like a conventional Web browser."

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394732,00.asp#fbid=GbO7By1YITI

    1. Re:turn it off by Osgeld · · Score: 2

      I fucking hate opt out, I should not have to nag every damned website I visit to not spam me cause they think they are somehow providing me a service.

    2. Re:turn it off by AngryDeuce · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Plus all the plugins you need to have installed to make sure they won't just track you anyway. I wouldn't mind so much if it was a permanent, once and for all opt-out, but it seems like more and more businesses just update something every few months and turn the shit right back on again, since the default for everything anymore is "PRIVACY IS ANTI-AMERICAN, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HIDE?"

    3. Re:turn it off by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2

      Given that he voted "yea" on H.R. 5304, the delightful FISA retroactive-immunity-for-any-illegal-spying-the-telcos-certainly-didn't-engage-in-but-if-they-did-it-is-now-legal act, I have a few proctological suggestions about where he can shove is alleged concern for internet privacy...

      Let's be clear here, this 'silk' is, indeed, an almost cartoonishly invasive technology, enabled b default, on what is likely to be a very popular consumer device(yes, Opera mini/opera turbo, and various dialup "accelerator" proxy services have been doing similar things, so it isn't really new; but 'Silk' is the boldest and highest profile); but Mr. Barton can be judged only to be crying crocodile tears, given his record.

      Pro surveillance, anti state records transparency, pro "PATRIOT" act, etc, etc.

  4. Uh huh by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 4, Insightful

    'My staff yesterday told me that one of our leading Internet companies, Amazon, is going to create their own server and their own system and they're going to force everybody that uses Amazon to go through their server and they're going to collect all this information on each person who does that without that person's knowledge. Enough is enough.'

    Translation for those who don't speak Congress-critter or those who live in other countries:
    "One of Amazon's competitors has decided to donate to my re-election campaign. A study group our pollster ran shows that we might get some TV time bitching about 'privacy concerns' hahahaha."

  5. Um -- PATRIOT act anyone? by wealthychef · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If Congress is concerned about privacy, maybe they should stop warrantless wiretapping and war by executive fiat. Just a thought.

    --
    Currently hooked on AMP
  6. Joe Barton and his staff are idiots... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

    My staff yesterday told me that one of our leading Internet companies, ...

    First. Why is his penis talking to him?

    ... Amazon, is going to create their own server and their own system...

    Um, like amazon.com?

    ...and they're going to force everybody that uses Amazon to go through their server...

    Um, like amazon.com?

    ...and they're going to collect all this information on each person who does that...

    Um, like amazon.com?

    ...without that person's knowledge.

    Um, I'm sure there will be a lengthy and detailed privacy notice/disclaimer telling us all the things they're going to track and collect, like amazon.com.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  7. nothing compared to the ISPs by optimism · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes...Amazon, Facebook, Google, Apple, etc can log your keystrokes and behaviors through their servers and their widespread affiliates.

    But this is nothing compared to your ISP. Comcast, AT&T, Roadrunner, etc have access to EVERYTHING their customers do on their Internet connections (minus a fractional percentage of encrypted traffic, of course).

    Funny that most folks seem to ignore this elephant in the room.

  8. Security Theater. by Beelzebud · · Score: 2

    If they get all bipartisan and outraged about this, it's because they're both covering for the domestic spying that a real Big Brother system has been engaging in since the Patriot Act. Funny how they can compare Amazon to "Big Brother" from 1984, but our own NSA now spies on us, without any warrant whatsoever.

    Rake Amazon over the coals for gathering information that relates to advertising, but give AT&T a free pass for hosting NSA spy rooms in their facilities.

  9. Re:Opera does the same thing by peragrin · · Score: 2

    The difference is Amazon is a known retailer who uses lots of advertising, and is well known for collecting information for advertisers.

    Opera hasn't been caught doing that yet. (it is a revenue stream they are missing)

    --
    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  10. The Real Issue Here by Nebulious · · Score: 2

    Let's not forget that Joe Barton is perhaps the dumbest and most openly corrupt person in congress today. Yes, that is saying a lot too. This is the man who thought he stumped Energy Secretary Stephen Chu with the question "Where does oil come from?" This is the guy who apologized to BP for Obama making them pay New Horizon reparations in the Gulf Coast. Joe Barton represents everything wrong with modern American politics and he does it with a holier-than-thou attitude.

    What I'm saying is if Joe Barton went on TV and said the sky was blue, I'd go out and see if it had changed to green.

  11. Re:Opera does the same thing by mysidia · · Score: 2

    Google uses lots of advertising too. Remember Microsoft's video showing how Chrome leaks every keystroke in the URL address bar?