Amazon removed books from my Kindle

[SomeSteve]

Originally Posted by jmstruwe

According to the support rep, most Kindle users have a library of maybe a dozen volumes and they permanently delete each book after reading it.

Originally Posted by issybird

Either this response was scripted or the CS was making it up on the spot, but I find it highly dubious. . . . I cannot imagine that virtually all don't do more than delete the download from their device or app.

Dubious is right. It set off my B.S. alarm. Judging by my own laziness, I can hardly imagine people even bothering to remove books from their device--unless the storage was full. And I don't really understand why something as potentially disastrous as "delete permanently" is even an option.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Just from curiosity, is there a reason to keep all those tens of thousands on your Kindle? If you do it for back-up, that's useless. Kindle books are coded for the device they're downloaded to and you can never use those copies on any other device. For backing up the books must be downloaded from your Kindle account to your computer and the DRM removed.

I too like to keep a couple of thousand books on my ereaders. But not much more than that, or they'll become unmanageable. The rest are kept on my computer.

I have a lot of books on my Libra 2, but I do not keep all of my library, Why would I need to? It just seems silly to keep 500+ eBooks on my Reader.

After the 1984 debacle, I have not read of Amazon removing any eBooks from anyone's Kindle. This does not seem to be correct (to me) saying Amazon removed books from the OP's Kindle.

[John F]

I'm not a Kindle user, but can you permenetly delete a book from the reader (i.e., it would also be deleted from a person's Amazon cloud library).

[SomeSteve]

Originally Posted by John F

I'm not a Kindle user, but can you permenetly delete a book from the reader (i.e., it would also be deleted from a person's Amazon cloud library).

You can remove a book from your device, and it remains in your library and can be downloaded to your device again.

On the other hand, if you permanently delete a book, it disappears not just from your device but from your library as well. If you wanted to download it again you'd have to buy it again.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by SomeSteve

And I don't really understand why something as potentially disastrous as "delete permanently" is even an option.

I like that option. Sometimes you just want to get rid of a book, so it's not cluttering up your library; eclutter is still clutter. You should only protect people from themselves so far, especially if it eliminates desirable options, and there is an "are you sure" failsafe in between choosing deletion and deletion.

[John F]

Originally Posted by SomeSteve

...

On the other hand, if you permanently delete a book, it disappears not just from your device but from your library as well. If you wanted to download it again you'd have to buy it again.

Are you saying you can permanently delete a book from the reader?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by SomeSteve

Dubious is right. It set off my B.S. alarm. Judging by my own laziness, I can hardly imagine people even bothering to remove books from their device--unless the storage was full. And I don't really understand why something as potentially disastrous as "delete permanently" is even an option.

I backup.
I assume that it's possible even an hour after buying a digital good that the item might not any longer be available, or even the company is gone, or my Internet is dug up for a month.

I might delete something totally obnoxious. But mostly in the last 25 years I've deleted nothing. Storage gets bigger and cheaper faster than the amount I need to store.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by issybird

I like that option. Sometimes you just want to get rid of a book, so it's not cluttering up your library; eclutter is still clutter. You should only protect people from themselves so far, especially if it eliminates desirable options, and there is an "are you sure" failsafe in between choosing deletion and deletion.

Yes. not being able to delete at all is as wrong as removal without permission.

[SomeSteve]

Originally Posted by John F

Are you saying you can permanently delete a book from the reader?

On the reader itself you have the options "Remove download" and "Permanently delete."

[John F]

Originally Posted by SomeSteve

On the reader itself you have the options "Remove download" and "Permanently delete."

Thank you

[haertig]

I don't permanently delete books that I have bought. However, I do permanently delete library loans after I have returned the book. I don't see any reason for Amazon to maintain a record of what I have borrowed from the library. It's not like you can re-download the loan from Amazon, and thus may want it listed in your Amazon account. You have to go check it out from the library again. I don't understand why Amazon doesn't just automatically permanently delete library loans. Well, I guess I do probably know why Amazon does this - the more they know about you (which includes knowing what library books you have previously checked out), the better they can specifically target you with marketing. They do it for Amazon's benefit, not yours.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by haertig

I don't permanently delete books that I have bought. However, I do permanently delete library loans after I have returned the book. I don't see any reason for Amazon to maintain a record of what I have borrowed from the library.

Your assumption that Amazon removes its records of what you borrowed just because you hit 'Permanently delete' is optimistic in the extreme. I would be frankly astonished if they did any such thing.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by NullNix

Your assumption that Amazon removes its records of what you borrowed just because you hit 'Permanently delete' is optimistic in the extreme. I would be frankly astonished if they did any such thing.

I just stated what I do, and that I don't think Amazon has any business tracking library loans. I make no assumptions on what Amazon does after I click on "permanently delete". If I were to assume, I would assume the same thing you do - that Amazon probably ignores the request. For all I know, they remove the library loan from MY view, but not from THEIR view. That may be a cynical view, but it's probably a correct view.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by haertig

For all I know, they remove the library loan from MY view, but not from THEIR view. That may be a cynical view, but it's probably a correct view.

That is likely true. If you “permanently delete” a purchased book by mistake you can contact Amazon customer service and have it reinstated.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by haertig

... I do permanently delete library loans after I have returned the book. I don't see any reason for Amazon to maintain a record of what I have borrowed from the library. It's not like you can re-download the loan from Amazon, and thus may want it listed in your Amazon account. You have to go check it out from the library again. I don't understand why Amazon doesn't just automatically permanently delete library loans. Well, I guess I do probably know why Amazon does this - the more they know about you (which includes knowing what library books you have previously checked out), the better they can specifically target you with marketing. They do it for Amazon's benefit, not yours.

The reason (or one reason) Amazon does not automatically delete library loans is that any notes and highlights you make on a library loan are saved so that if you borrow the book again or decide to purchase it, the notes and highlights will still be there. However if you permanently delete the record of the loan, your notes and highlights will be lost.