Murdoch Now Demanding Names Of Kindle Subscribers

from the this-will-end-poorly dept

Fri, Aug 7th 2009 6:59am — Mike Masnick

Fresh off vague and undefined plans to put up a paywall on various news sites, it seems that Murdoch's latest misguided target for digital angst is Amazon. ikonoclasm alerts us to the news that Murdoch is angry and threatening to remove all News Corp. material from the kindle unless Amazon is willing to hand over subscriber names and info to News Corp., despite having just negotiated a larger share of revenue. Of course, the subscribers themselves might actually like the fact that Amazon isn't handing out their user info. Either way, it seems like Murdoch is suddenly hellbent on making it more difficult to read any of his content digitally.

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Filed Under: charging, journalism, kindle, news, rupert murdoch
Companies: amazon, news corp.

28 Comments

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LexLuthor, 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:11am

Yet another reason NOT to buy the Kindle which is aptly named. Kindle is not good for anything but tossing on the fire. Anyone who actually pays money for one of these POS is just further subsidizing DRM and idiots like Murdoch.
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Josh (profile), 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:14am

I particularly enjoyed this quote from the story: "...the traditional business model has to change rapidly to ensure that our journalistic businesses can return to their old margins of profitability." The cognitive dissonance from that statement is staggering.
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moore850 (profile), 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:22am

End of an Empire
We are witnessing the end of an empire -- I don't think that NewsCorp will survive this attempt to monetize the Internet.
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giafly, 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:26am

Unfortunately Murdoch refused to comment on allegations of wide-spread telephone hacking by News International minions in the UK (two of them are in prison but it's alleged this was just the tip of the iceberg). So why does he think people should trust News Corp with their data?

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/arts_entertainment/media/newspaper+denies+phone+hack+claim s/3258742
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Ima Fish (profile), 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:33am

With all of these greedy asswipes sticking their fingers in the Kindle, it's looking less and less attractive for consumers.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:44am

I heard it has free 3g and a basic browser, is it worth picking up to be able to get stock quotes and trade with or is the browser too limited to allow that kind of activity? My data plan is sucking all the $$ out of my profits! How long before everyong is trying to charge for access to their sites? They have been threatening this since the interwebs began!
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Dave04, 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:53am

Sad...
I really, REALLY want a Kindle... there are so many places I'd use it and to have a good library of books in a small portable device would be wonderful.

BUT... I've heard so many DRM horror stories that I just can't make myself go buy one.
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Johnjac (profile), 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:56am

He wants his movies out of Redbox too
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/08/fox-joins-universals-war-on-redboxs-dvd-rental-kiosks.ars

Someone needs to check and see if he has shorted News Corp. Stocks. ;)
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2009 @ 8:07am

It's always nice to know when the Library turns over it's borrowing records too!

If Murdoch is really this paranoid about who is borrowing/renting his stories, he should have just envoked the Patriot Act. Surely something is buried in that mess of an act that can be twisted and maligned to ensure rental of news, and take ensure it can disappear when it's accomplished it's purpose.

Sorry, but facts don't cease to exist when you ignore them, or use DRM to erase them.

Murdoch Street Tabloids are no more than commentary designed to influence opinion and have a terribly short shelflife. It's not reporting. Those that think it is are terribly wrong.
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Allen Harkleroad, 7 Aug 2009 @ 8:13am

Murdock
What a F***ing Idiot Murdock is, if I were the CEO of Amazon I would laugh and tell Murdock to get bent. His paywall idea is going to blow up in his face. It isn't so much the 5% rule as it is his thinking he can say you will pay. People will go elsewhere for their news, he doesn't own all of the news and once again I say Murdock is an idiot to think he can have his cake and eat it too.
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SageAnt, 7 Aug 2009 @ 8:26am

I already actively boycott any news stories or shows on News Corp media (except House / Bones on Fox). no fox news stories and definitely no WSJ stories either.
Amazon got to man up and say no to this fool and let their customer know their data is safe. Otherwise my Kindle will be kindle
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Steve R. (profile), 7 Aug 2009 @ 8:30am

Again the Consumer is Irrelevent
It is the consumer who purchases products that keeps a product alive. Yet again we apparently have another case where two companies begin squabbling and may eventually reach a decision where they "win" at the expense of the consumer, who one day turns on their Kindle only to find the friendly greeting that they now have now been invited to spend more for content that they had previously purchased or plan to purchase.

If the consumer doesn't like this autocratic and unilateral change of service, too bad - you just lost your investment in the Kindle and its content.
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Mike Lukianoff, 7 Aug 2009 @ 8:31am

Encouraging development for real journalism!
I can't imagine many things that could be better for improving integrity in journalism than Rupert restricting his content to only paid subscribers. If Ruperts statements are indicative of News Corp's long term strategy, then there may be hope for the future of real journalism afterall. Tight DRM controls will be the end of those content providers - not a return to the good old days of being paid handsomely for espousing political philosophy under the guise of 'journalism'.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2009 @ 8:54am

If the 1984 experience tells us something, it's Amazon complying with the request in 3..2..1.. now!
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Carolyn Wood, 7 Aug 2009 @ 9:00am

Murdoch vs Amazon
Conflict may yield progress in this case.
If not, who doesn't enjoy a little simulated sport?
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Carolyn Wood, 7 Aug 2009 @ 9:00am

Murdoch vs Amazon
Conflict may yield progress in this case.
If not, who doesn't enjoy a little simulated sport?
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P D H, 7 Aug 2009 @ 9:37am

I'll be totally happy not to have anything involving Murdock on my kindle... Don't quite see the motivation - but each idiot to his own.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2009 @ 9:44am

Murdoch is angry and threatening to remove all News Corp. material from the kindle unless Amazon is willing to hand over subscriber names and info to News Corp.

Another reason to not use Kindle and not believe a thing News Corp. Says.
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another mike (profile), 7 Aug 2009 @ 10:03am

Re: Sad...
Just roll your own. Here's a googling to get you started.
Also, E-Ink sells their screens as a dev kit. Add battery, radios, and a case mod and you're all set. I went with a steampunk theme on mine.
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bob, 7 Aug 2009 @ 10:18am

Ummm
DRM = Bad

Kindle has DRM

Kindle = Bad

Nuff said.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Aug 2009 @ 10:29am

Not for my school
I am on a committee at my University looking at ebook readers. Administrators think the Kindle is the key to the future. Some of us minions have been working to disabuse them of that notion. Amazon has helped us at every turn. We take every story about people getting cut off from their books for arbitrary reasons to committee meetings.

The Buckley Amendment and privacy issues are one issue that makes all university administrators sweat blood. If Amazon does turn over names I think we will be able to get our administrators to take Kindle off the table at our school.
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Xenophon Fenderson, 7 Aug 2009 @ 10:58am

Better data mining is News Corp's likely goal
I think that this increases the likelihood that Murdoch and company wants to improve their value to advertisers by providing more detailed viewer/reader information (e.g., to support better targeted ads).
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Lachlan Hunt (profile), 7 Aug 2009 @ 1:13pm

Amazon Should Be More Pro-active
Amazon should just take the pro-active approach and not only blatantly refuse to violate their user's personal details, but to immediately cancel any deal they have with NewsCorp and make a deal with a much more much more reasonable competitor.
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batch, 7 Aug 2009 @ 1:46pm

Re: Amazon Should Be More Pro-active
Seriously, who the heck does this guy think he is? Hes getting paid regardless. He has no right to this information; he probably just wants to sell it to telemarketers for more money anyway. Greedy prick.
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Rebecca, 7 Aug 2009 @ 7:26pm

Amazon v. Murdoch
Murdoch is becoming such a pain in the butt. What is his problem with it anyway? I hope Amazon is intelligent enough not to violate their customers' private information. I hope they realize what a greedy jerk he is and send this info to all news organizations who shall henceforth annoy him into the ground about it.
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Viatcheslav I Sobol, 7 Aug 2009 @ 9:28pm

Murdoch
Amazon is not some small retail outlet that is not capable of mounting a very efficient legal defense strategy and is not about to roll over and cough up whatever is demanded by the "news"Corp. He and his propaganda media are utter garbage. Although, the WSJ has been somewhat of an exception regarding the accuracy of my statement. His corporation is probably not going to return to profitability in his lifetime anyway.
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mark, 10 Aug 2009 @ 9:22am

On the other hand...
I am no fan of Rupert Murdoch, but is he really asking for something so unreasonable? He wants to know the names of people who subscribe to his publication via the Kindle. He probably has access to the names of everyone else who arranges in advance to receive the publication on a regular basis. At a minimum I would call this a gray area. If he isn't already doing so, he should work toowards a pricing model where you get a discount for "subscribing" rather than purchasing individual, unknown-to-Murdoch copies.
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Annoyed, 11 Aug 2009 @ 7:06pm

Very simple solution = don't use their news.

We'll just take our business elsewhere.
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