Skip to main content

Congress questions Amazon on the privacy of the Silk browser

Amazon Kindle Fire - hand modeled
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Earlier this week, both Democrat and Republican members of Congress expressed concern over privacy of users that browse the Web through the Amazon Silk browser on the currently unreleased Kindle Fire. Since the Kindle Fire uses less expensive hardware than a typical tablet, the split version of Silk sends all Web activity through the cloud-based Amazon Web Services and speeds up the process considerably. Page rendering and general processing of a Web page occurs in the cloud, thus the Kindle Fire doesn’t need to process the data. Officials in Congress are concerned about what data Amazon will retain about a user’s activities as well as how that data will be used in the future.

Amazon-silk-browserRep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts is the co-Chair of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus and sent off a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos regarding privacy concerns. Markey wants to know what Amazon plans to do with the data and if the company plans to sell or rent the data to third-party companies such as advertisers seeking to place ads on the Kindle Fire. Markey is also concerned about Amazon’s plans to convey the privacy policy to Kindle Fire users as well as the ability for new customers to opt into the data sharing program. Amazon claims that all data collected through the split version of the Kindle Fire browser will be anonymous and only available in a bundled, collective form.

Users do have the ability to turn off the split version of the Silk browser and run the program as a traditional browser. However, running Silk as a traditional browser will significantly slow down the speed of leading Web pages. Since the split version of the browser is turned on by default when a consumer purchases the Kindle Fire, it’s highly unlikely that new users will opt for the slower version of the Silk browser.

Topics
Mike Flacy
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
How to change your language in Google Chrome on desktop
Chrome OS

Google Chrome supports a wide range of languages. While it'll default to English in most cases, there's nothing stopping you from changing its settings and displaying pages in Spanish, French, or dozens of other languages.

Changing your default language in Chrome takes only a few seconds, and the technique used is the same across Windows and Mac. Aside from changing your language, note that Chrome now gives you the option to automatically translate pages written in another language – making it easy to read content from around the globe.

Read more
23 of the best Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks
The Netflix home screen.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms for all things movies and TV shows. Home to an immense library of titles, the Netflix archive is constantly changing and evolving, and so are the many ways you can use your Netflix account. 

For instance, did you know you can access region-locked Netflix shows and flicks by using a VPN? Or that you can disable that pesky Autoplay feature? There are tons of Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks out there, so we’ve gone ahead and rounded up all of our favorites! 
Expand your streaming with a VPN

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more