Amazon 'wiped Kindle' over 'abuse' claims

Everything deleted from customer Kindle - but Amazon refuses to explain why

Amazon has been accused of closing customers' accounts and wiping their Kindle e-books - including books that they have legitimately paid for - over claims that they have "abused company policy".

The claims have been made in a blog by Norwegian IT specialist Martin Bekkelund after an acquaintance had their account terminated by Amazon and everything on their Kindle remotely wiped.

"Linn travels a lot and therefore has, or should I say had, a lot of books on her Kindle, purchased from Amazon. Suddenly, her Kindle was wiped and her account was closed. Being convinced that something wrong had happened, she sent an email to Amazon, asking for help."

Amazon claimed that her account was linked with a previous account connected with "abuses" of its terms and conditions, and any future attempt to open an Amazon Kindle account would be treated in the same way - the remote deletion by Amazon of all data on the device.

However, Linn claimed that she only ever had one account with Amazon. When she complained to Amazon's customer services, the executive refused to explain any further:

"As previously advised, your Amazon.co.uk account has been closed, as it has come to our attention that this account is related to a previously blocked account. While we are unable to provide detailed information on how we link related accounts, please know that we have reviewed your account on the basis of the information provided and regret to inform you that it will not be reopened.

Please understand that the closure of an account is a permanent action."

Computing has asked Amazon for comment.

"Did she violate any terms? Amazon will not tell. Perhaps by accident? Amazon does not care. The conclusion so far is clear: Amazon closed her account, wiped her Kindle and refuses to tell her why. End of discussion," wrote Bekkelund.

He added that the case demonstrated digital rights management (DRM) at its worst: "As a long-term writer about technology, DRM, privacy and user rights, this Amazon example shows the very worst of DRM. If the retailer, in this case Amazon, thinks you're a crook, they will throw you out and take away everything that you bought. And if you disagree, you're totally outlawed. Not only is your account closed, all your books that you paid for are gone. With DRM, you don't buy and own books, you merely rent them for as long as the retailer finds it convenient."

It also brings into question the danger of storing or backing up trusted digital data "in the cloud" and the power that this gives to the controller of that cloud.