Amazon's Software Is Malware

Malware and nonfree software are two different issues. Malware means the program is designed to mistreat or harm users when it runs. The difference between free software and nonfree software is in whether the users have control of the program or vice versa. It's not directly a question of what the program does when it runs. However, in practice nonfree software is often malware, because the developer's awareness that the users would be powerless to fix any malicious functionalities tempts the developer to impose some.

If you know of an example that ought to be in this page but isn't here, please write to <[email protected]> to inform us. Please include the URL of a trustworthy reference or two to serve as specific substantiation.

Kindle Swindle Echo Other products

Malware in the Kindle Swindle

We refer to this product as the Amazon Swindle because it has Digital restrictions management (DRM) and other malicious functionalities.

Back Doors

Amazon downgraded the software in users' Swindles so that those already rooted would cease to function at all.
The Amazon Kindle-Swindle has a back door that has been used to remotely erase books. One of the books erased was 1984, by George Orwell.

Amazon responded to criticism by saying it would delete books only following orders from the state. However, that policy didn't last. In 2012 it wiped a user's Kindle-Swindle and deleted her account, then offered her kafkaesque “explanations.”
The Kindle also has a universal back door.

Surveillance

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has examined and found various kinds of surveillance in the Swindle and other e-readers.

DRM

The Amazon Kindle has DRM. That article is flawed in that it fails to treat DRM as an ethical question; it takes for granted that whatever Amazon might do to its users is legitimate. It refers to DRM as digital “rights” management, which is the spin term used to promote DRM. Nonetheless it serves as a reference for the facts.

Malware in the Echo

Back Doors

The Amazon Echo appears to have a universal back door, since it installs “updates” automatically.

We have found nothing explicitly documenting the lack of any way to disable remote changes to the software, so we are not completely sure there isn't one, but this seems pretty clear.

Surveillance

Crackers found a way to break the security of an Amazon device, and turn it into a listening device for them.

It was very difficult for them to do this. The job would be much easier for Amazon. And if some government such as China or the US told Amazon to do this, or cease to sell the product in that country, do you think Amazon would have the moral fiber to say no?

These crackers are probably hackers too, but please don't use “hacking” to mean “breaking security”.

Malware in other products

The Ring (now Amazon) doorbell camera is designed so that the manufacturer (now Amazon) can watch all the time. Now it turns out that anyone else can also watch, and fake videos too.

The third party vulnerability is presumably unintentional and I suppose Amazon will fix it. I do not expect Amazon to change the design that allows Amazon to watch.
Amazon Ring “security” devices send the video they capture to Amazon servers, which save it long-term.

In many cases, the video shows everyone that comes near, or merely passes by, the user's front door.

The article focuses on how Ring used to let individual employees look at the videos freely. It appears Amazon has tried to prevent that secondary abuse, but the primary abuse—that Amazon gets the video—Amazon expects society to surrender to.
Amazon recently invited consumers to be suckers and allow delivery staff to open their front doors. Wouldn't you know it, the system has a grave security flaw.
The Amazon “Smart” TV is snooping all the time.