Adobe DE 4: All Your Ebook Data Are Belong to Us

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

So, this is just a heads up to the current drama and privacy violations on the part of Adobe Digital Editions (4):


From The Digital Reader:
Adobe is Spying on Users, Collecting Data on Their eBook Libraries http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/10...

Adobe is gathering data on the ebooks that have been opened, which pages were read, and in what order. All of this data, including the title, publisher, and other metadata for the book is being sent to Adobe’s server in clear text.

Adobe is not only logging what users are doing, they’re also sending those logs to their servers in such a way that anyone running one of the servers in between can listen in and know everything...

Adobe isn’t just tracking what users are doing in DE4; this app was also scanning my computer, gathering the metadata from all of the ebooks sitting on my hard disk, and uploading that data to Adobe’s servers.

In. Plain. Text.

And just to be clear, this includes not just ebooks I opened in DE4, but also ebooks I store in calibre and every Epub ebook I happen to have sitting on my hard disk.

Adobe Digital Editions 3 Probably Safe From Adobe’s Spying, Experts Say - http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/10...

I have followed up on this story and looked into the earlier versions of Digital Editions, just to see how long Adobe may have been spying on users. After testing DE2 and DE3 I can report, and others can confirm, that neither app appears to be tracking my reading habits nor uploading details about my ebook library.

The older apps do send some information to Adobe, but the data packet is small enough that it can’t hold much more than info required to authorize the DRM. So if you need one of Adobe’s apps, you do have safer options than DE4.

Adobe DE 3 can be downloaded from the Adobe website.

From Digital Book World Daily
Adobe Confirms It’s Gathering Ebook Readers’ Data - http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2014/...

Reached for comment, Adobe confirms that those data gathering practices are indeed in place. “Adobe Digital Editions allows users to view and manage eBooks and other digital publications across their preferred reading devices—whether they purchase or borrow them,” Adobe said in a statement this afternoon.

Update: Hoffelder reported that Adobe Digital Editions appeared to be gathering information on his entire ebook library, not just the titles viewed through Adobe Digital Editions. In a follow-up communication with Adobe, which included the file Hoffelder posted to support this suspicion, the company reiterated its earlier statement that “information is solely collected for the eBook currently being read by the user and not for any other eBook in the user’s library or read/available in any other reader.”

According to the latest reports, that data appears to be delivering to Adobe’s servers as clear text, raising concerns that third parties could easily gain access to it.

Update: Adobe acknowledges that transmitting unencrypted data could pose a security risk: “In terms of the transmission of the data collected, Adobe is in the process of working on an update to address this issue.” Adobe says further that more information on when that update will be in place and of what it will consist is forthcoming.

In its statement this afternoon, Adobe enumerates the data it gathers through Adobe Digital Editions:

~User ID: The user ID is collected to authenticate the user.
~Device ID: The device ID is collected for digital right management (DRM) purposes since publishers typically restrict the number of devices an eBook or digital publication can be read on.
~Certified App ID: The Certified App ID is collected as part of the DRM workflow to ensure that only certified apps can render a book, reducing DRM hacks and compromised DRM implementations.
~Device IP: The device IP is collected to determine the broad geo-location, since publishers have different pricing models in place depending on the location of the reader purchasing a given eBook or digital publication.
~ Duration for Which the Book was Read: This information is collected to facilitate limited or metered pricing models where publishers or distributors charge readers based on the duration a book is read. For example, a reader may borrow a book for a period of 30 days. While some publishers/distributers charge for 30-days from the date of the download, others follow a metered pricing model and charge for the actual time the book is read.
~ Percentage of the Book Read: This information is collected to allow publishers to implement subscription models where they can charge based on the percentage of the book read. For example, some publishers charge only a percentage of the full price if only a certain percentage of the book is read.
~ Additionally, the following data is provided by the publisher as part of the actual license and DRM for the eBook:

Date of Purchase/Download
Distributor ID and Adobe Content Server Operator URL
Metadata of the Book provided by Publisher (including title, author, publisher list price, ISBN number)

From ArsTechnica
Adobe’s e-book reader sends your reading logs back to Adobe—in plain text [Updated] - http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/...

DE reported back each EPUB document opened and the navigation within the document, recording each page number viewed in a stream of activity data back to an application called “datacollector.” The XML data is logged locally by the application, and then transmitted each time the application is opened—likely as part of Adobe’s DRM enforcement within DE. No data was transmitted for PDF documents opened.

A review of Adobe's terms of use for DE found no mention of the logging feature or how long the data was stored by Adobe. While checking the license data for books in DE’s local library is certainly part of the application’s core functionality, the fact that this data is broadcast in the clear could create a significant privacy issue for readers. It's not clear how the data collected by Adobe is stored, but it is associated with a unique identifier for each Digital Editions installation that can be associated with an Internet Protocol address when logged. And the fact that the data is broadcast in the clear by Digital Editions is directly in conflict with the privacy guidelines of many library systems, which closely guard readers' book loan data.

Update, 6:23 PM ET: An Adobe spokesperson now says the company is working on an update. "In terms of the transmission of the data collected, Adobe is in the process of working on an update to address this issue," the spokesperson said in an e-mail to Ars Technica. "We will notify you when a date for this update has been determined."

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

Oh FF... >:|

[Gregor]

I just recently saw this news, too. The bastards!

And it doesn't really sound like they plan to stop doing it. The update will likely just make it so the data gets passed encrypted.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

My thoughts exactly.

And you HAVE to use ADE to open books that are locked with adobe DRM.

>:|

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

MrsJ, would you mind posting a shortened version (mebbe just title and links) in other group?

Or may I?

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Karma♥Bites ^.~ wrote: "MrsJ, would you mind posting a shortened version (mebbe just title and links) in other group?

Or may I?"

pm

[Becky]

Is it only version 4 that's doing this? I have ADE 2.0 on my computer...

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Becky wrote: "Is it only version 4 that's doing this? I have ADE 2.0 on my computer..."

It's been confirmed that only ADE 4 does it right now - ADE 2.0 and 3.0 are good.

Its being suggested NOT to upgrade and to downgrade if you already have ADE 4.

[Becky]

Whew. OK, I shall step away from the Uninstall button. Tentatively.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Becky wrote: "Whew. OK, I shall step away from the Uninstall button. Tentatively."

IKR?

[Chris , cookie guilt]

Well, I only use ADE to manage books I download from NetGalley. Since it's actually much easier to send them to Kindle and I have the Kindle app loaded on my Nook, I'll probably phase myself into doing that with all my ARCs.

I've actually been trending that way anyway. ADE kinda sucks.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Chris wrote: "I've actually been trending that way anyway. ADE kinda sucks. "

It sooo sucks. I actually don't use it except as a pass-through: I sideload instead of direct d/l. I have to use ADE so it can "phone home" all my acsm (ascm?) files.

I *think* I have 3.0 at home. If I do not...I have to figure something out. I need to go check MR to see if there are any technical options available as yet.

[Becky]

I never use ADE anymore. I stopped requesting from NetGalley, because they never approve what I really want, and when I do get approved, I'd lose interest in the book. LOL

[Chris , cookie guilt]

Cool thing about selecting Kindle, they don't lock you out after 54 days like the epubs do.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Gosh I love MR.

Quick patch:

Time to edit your hosts file so that information isn't sent to adobe...

Windows:
Double click on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (edit with Notepad or Wordpad) and add:
127.0.0.1 adelogs.adobe.com
127.0.0.1 192.150.16.235


It's sort of a poor (or ignorant in a kind sense) person's outgoing firewall. All packets going to that the IP address for that hostname will go to your computer instead. This may or may not be benign. For HTTP, it probably will not do any harm.

[Lee]

I find myself less and less enchanted with ebooks lately.

Sort of off topic, but this week my eyes have been giving me problems (working on a computer at work) and I haven't wanted to read my nook. So I took out my nook simple touch and tried to download my more recent books. Tried to. My library stopped at 500 books. I have closer to 1000. That's half of my books missing.

Made me think, technology is great, but not always reliable.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Nienna wrote: "I find myself less and less enchanted with ebooks lately.

Sort of off topic, but this week my eyes have been giving me problems (working on a computer at work) and I haven't wanted to read my noo..."

That would drive me insane. O_O

I do have a lot of ebooks - too many ebooks. I have ebooks strewn around like matchsticks and I don't even know where all of them are. The cataloging program I use has a place for location and I'm starting to think I should use it.

[Lee]

I just deleted my account from the simple touch and started again. All my books are there now. Don't know why it got stuck. But I'm glad I've got all my books back. :)

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Nienna wrote: "I just deleted my account from the simple touch and started again. All my books are there now. Don't know why it got stuck. But I'm glad I've got all my books back. :)"

Thats good!

[Beth]

I've always hated ADE. I didn't think I upgraded, but went to check anyways. Thank God I'm still on version 2. I don't really use it except for when I download books from OverDrive. I pretty much use Calibre for everything.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

I'm still on 2.0 as well. Thank goodness.