Can Amazon Detect Pirated Books on a Kindle Paperwhite?
Can Amazon detect pirated books on a Kindle Paperwhite? The fact that you have Kindle Paperwhite, or any other Kindle device for that matter, probably means you love to read. If you are like me, you go through 2 or 3 novels every week. I know, I am a bit obsessive, but I just love science fiction. Unfortunately, books cost money. As a writer, this is something that is perfectly understandable. It takes so much effort to produce one that it’s only fair that writers should be rewarded for their work.
Pirated books on a Kindle Paperwhite
Books can be expensive, and so it is sometimes tempting to become a little less honest in order to satisfy the reading craving. There are many sources of pirated books out there. I shall not mention them in this article. I do not want to encourage dishonesty.
Anyway, thousands of books are available for free in the mobi format for those that know their way around the dark corners of the internet. In any case, the question that arises for people who succeed in acquiring not so original copies of original books is; can Amazon detect pirated books on a Kindle Paperwhite?
Fear of having a Kindle blocked or bricked
In most instances, the pirates are worried about the possibility of having their Kindle devices blocked by Amazon because they have downloaded books from unsavory sources. Now, is it possible that Amazon can block offending Kindles?
Amazon probably can detect the presence of none Kindle books
The truth of the matter is, Amazon can probably detect the presence of non-Kindle books on a Kindle device. They probably also can brick offending devices. Doing so would be a simple enough matter.
Does Amazon Care?
Okay, I was initially going to state otherwise, but truth of the matter is; Amazon probably does care about the fact that some people are pirating books and reading them on Kindle devices. Amazon, after all, is in the business of making money, and they make none when we all go around pirating books.
Can Amazon do Anything?
If you are worried that Amazon will penalize you or brick your Kindle simply because you have hundreds of pirated books on the device, then you need not worry. Fact is, there are many perfectly legitimate sources of books out there. Amazon cannot be sure that the books that you have on your device are pirated. Maybe you got them via Kobo. So, Amazon cannot really do anything about people who have pirated copies of books on their Paperwhites. Bricking people’s Kindles would open them up to the loss of millions in litigation fees.
Should you worry?
So, can Amazon detect pirated books on a Kindle? No, you don’t have to worry about having pirated/stolen books on your Kindle Paperwhite. In fact, I have several (read hundreds) on mine. It’s something that I am not proud of.
As a writer, I know how it feels not be benefit from one’s work. If it’s an help, I will ask for forgiveness from my readers. I admit to being addicted. I am a science fiction addict. And the extenuating circumstance is that I sometimes do buy 99 cents novels off Amazon. That should count for something right?