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How to stop Amazon from using your Kindle activity for marketing purposes

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by

Piotr Kowalczyk

1. On Amazon website, go to Your Content and Devices » Privacy Settings » Amazon Devices Privacy.
2. Select the device, and toggle Device Usage Data button at the bottom.

Problem

Using digital content has one major disadvantage: all the benefits are delivered at the cost of your privacy.

Digital content providers, including ebook and audiobook platforms, may collect a lot of information about you and your family. If you are concerned about it, you can limit what is collected and for which purposes.

Solution

There is no need to deregister your Kindle (in fact, it will become completely useless), but what you can do is disable data collection for marketing purposes.

Amazon provides such an option for all Amazon devices, including the Kindle. You can do it quickly on your computer.

How to disable data collection on your Kindle

1. Go to Amazon website and log in to your account.

2. Select “Your Content and Devices” from “Account & Lists” drop-down menu.

3. Go to Privacy Settings tab at the top navigation row.

4. Select the device you want to manage.

5. Switch the orange button under “Device Usage Data.”

6. Click “Turn off” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

7. Repeat the same for other devices connected to your Amazon account.

Turning off data collection will not decrease the convenience of using your Kindle. Amazon will still collect the data that’s needed, for instance, to manage notes, bookmarks, and last-read positions.

They will not, however, use the data for marketing purposes. Even if you will see the ads, they will not be based on your interests and activity.

Data Usage warning box on Amazon – full text

We use data about your use of this device to provide customized marketing offers you might enjoy and to improve our products and services for all users. You can opt out of allowing us to use personal data collected by the operating system of this device for these purposes by turning this setting off.

Turning this setting off will not affect:

  • Your ability to use the features of this device, as we will continue to collect and process your data to deliver those features to you;
  • Whether you receive marketing offers, though those offers may be less relevant to you; or
  • The processing of data related to your use of Amazon services on this device

⇢ Amazon

Keep exploring. Here are other tips and how-to guides:

[gu-archive number=5 tag=”tips”]

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