Amazon’s Kindle Shutdown Proves You Don’t Own Your Books Anymore

Recent reports flooding the internet sound the alarm on a Big Tech power move that should concern anyone who values ownership of their media: Amazon is ending support for older Kindle devices, including models that still work perfectly well.

And no, these e-readers are not broken. Their batteries hold charges, the screens still display text, and their buttons are responsive.

Yet once Amazon withdraws support, these Kindles’ core features will disappear. Users will lose access to the Kindle store, and registration will fail after a reset.

The result: A device that once served as a personal library becomes a plastic lockbox.

What’s worse is that there is no technical necessity behind this power grab. It’s a brazen display of control.

As many have been warning for years, digital media always came with strings attached. When you purchase a physical book, it remains yours regardless of the publisher’s politically motivated mood swings.

But when you purchase a digital file tied to a platform, continued access depends on that platform’s cooperation.

That’s a reality which has just hit home for countless Kindle users.

Read the full post on Substack!

Access it free for the first two weeks, then find it in the paid archive.