Oh Amazon. I have such a love/hate relationship with you. Probably because I loathe nearly everything you do aside from your fantastic and fast online shopping experience and AWS.
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Amazon Dropped Device Encryption From Fire OS Before Apple-FBI Case
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I don't want to make points about privacy, I want to make a point about Amazon as an Apple competitor. Of course Amazon is good at web services and logistics, that's what they need to be as the worlds biggest web order company. That's not their origin, but what they still are and remain. Computer hardware and software is something entirely different. Amazon didn't need to learn how to make a solid OS and how to deal with security issues to become this big. Even Microsoft only learned it the hard way, when the Windows malware situation got out of control. But they figured it out eventually, because they are dependent on Windows. Amazon's core business does not depend on the quality of Fire OS. That's why it is possible to have a strategy meeting on encryption that ends with the decision to drop that feature.
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They support Apple but if it goes downhill they don't want to have to create special software for the Fire OS, like you said they're playing both ends.
They support Apple but if it goes downhill they don't want to have to create special software for the Fire OS, like you said they're playing both ends.
People aren't taking advantage of their encryption services? I thought by using the device that would be considered using their encryption to the full. I can't see a reason to reduce security on any device.
This move calls into serious question what other potential security risks there might be with the Echo and the other newly announced "always listening" devices that Amazon now encourages you to put throughout your home or take with you on the go.
Any company that silently removes encryption from its devices via a software update and doesn't admit it until they're called out deserves to go into the toilet. I love Amazon in terms of their shopping experience; but what they have done with their Fire devices is incredibly troubling and indefensible.
Any company that silently removes encryption from its devices via a software update and doesn't admit it until they're called out deserves to go into the toilet. I love Amazon in terms of their shopping experience; but what they have done with their Fire devices is incredibly troubling and indefensible.
Do you self and your nation a favor and watch:Make America great again. Vote Trump
Fair points there. I think it's relevant though that FireOS is an Android variant so they didn't have to solve all the core issues themselves. You could argue that this situation runs contrary but I believe Amazon has the experience in running development efforts (I understand the differences between cloud infrastructure and mobile device OS and App development but from a corporate perspective understanding software development exists for both) and the resources to hire the right team which would allow them to put out a good device for their market. With their current strategy I wouldn't consider them a direct threat to Apple's consumer devices, they are going for different markets (although I'm sure there is some cross over). Apple is selling a premium brand with a premium markup, Amazon is going for the old cheap razor and lock into razorblades approach. Maybe we arrive at the same conclusion that the primary goal is not FireOS to be the best it can be, I would expect their strategy to be producing a very inexpensive device that locks their customers into their ecosystem as much as possible. To that end, no, encryption is not likely to be high on their priority list, and probably isn't for their customers either. You'll never see me with an Amazon device (I do care a lot about encryption) and I'm not a fan of this decision at all but I don't think it's an existential threat to Amazon or even to their devices business.
Funny that you mention AWS....what will they do with security on AWS? Potential sign to a bad trend here. We don't like your AWS security amazon...our tech say its takes too long to sneak in. Yeah sure we have a warrant...we just forget tell you we had it , (we'd show it to you but the dog ate it), or to call up to say we are coming in since didn't want too bother you, sorry, no bad feelings right.... Please drop it down a notch. Okay, more like 10 notches..
I call this p whipped syndrome. Old boy caves in under one evil eye from the girl, its not like a woman ever stops giving those evil eyes. Don't establish your manhood as it were on the important matters....it just steamrolls really imo. This one of those evil eyes they should have stood up for themselves.
I'm a John Oliver fan and watch every episode but I also take what he says with a grain of salt. He, like Trump, is an entertainer. And he, like Drumpf, has viewpoints that are decidedly on one side of the political spectrum (I'd venture to say a few standard deviations from the mean of the American populace as well).
True, but entertainment angle aside, the facts presented are correct.
This lack of respect for personal data security is the reason I've never been tempted to buy an Amazon Echo even when Prime members were offered it at a cut rate price. I do love Prime & its features but I've never been tempted by their digital products at any price. (I also believe you get what you pay for, especially when it comes to electronics).
According to Engadget, Amazon is now backpedaling:
http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/04/amazon-will-bring-encryption-back-to-FireOS/
http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/04/amazon-will-bring-encryption-back-to-FireOS/
Not sure what encrypting the storage of the device has to do with kid's security? I think people are confusing the encryption of the data stored on the device with secure connections/encryption on internet transmissions. Amazon isn't turning off SSL / HTTPS, they're removing the encryption of stored data.
So Kiddie's Porn (naked pictures kids and teens share amongst themselves) would now be stored unencrypted on the device. So, kids, don't use Amazon products to distribute your pictures because your parents can see them now.
They probably had a backdoor and decided to just be honest with consumers -> You really don't have privacy so we won't fool you anymore.
It's probably because fire os tablets have performance issues with local encryption enabled I bet. These aren't top of the line devices. Removing it is wrong though, best to offer a warning performance will suffer
Even last year's nexus 6 with better hardware had rather serious performance implications with encryption enabled
Apple has done this right with hardware acceleration for many years now
Even last year's nexus 6 with better hardware had rather serious performance implications with encryption enabled
Apple has done this right with hardware acceleration for many years now
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Yeah and think about all of the services that run on top of that. From a quick search:
Dropbox
Netflix
Spotify
Expedia
Adobe
Reddit/Imgur
Weather Channel
Intuit/Mint
News outlets like Time Inc, Newsweek, PBS, Financial Times, Conde Nast, etc
Dow Jones
MLB
I'm also fairly certain that other cloud sharing apps like Droplr and Cloud App use it too. Also I'm not sure how completely up-to-date all of those are, but it gives people an idea of how much this matters.
