How to disable data collection on your Kindle or Fire device

Change this privacy setting to stop Amazon from collecting your private data for marketing purposes.

Internet users are getting more and more concerned about their privacy. And more and more companies feel obliged to introduce more transparent privacy policy, as well as easy to change settings that enable customers to control what information to share.

Amazon is still far behind Facebook or Google in this area, but you can already decide whether you want the company to collect data about how you use your Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet.

Opting out of data collection doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use your Amazon device the same way as before. Your device will offer the same features, for instance, syncing the last read position between the connected devices. The necessary data will be sent to Amazon servers to provide all features, but the company won’t use it for any other purpose than that.

Please note that this setting can be changed only for a connected Amazon device, and not an app (such as Kindle for iPad and iPhone).

You can disable data collection directly on each device, but the method you see below is the easiest way – you can change the setting for several devices in one place.

How to disable Amazon device usage data collection – the easy way

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

2. Go to “Account & Lists” area and select “Your Content and Devices” from a drop-down menu.

3. In the top navigation bar, on the right of “Manage Your Content and Devices,” click “Privacy Settings.”

4. Click “Manage Settings” button on the “Amazon Devices Privacy” box.

5. Select the device you want to control.

6. In the lower part, uncheck the orange slide button located under the headline “Device Usage Data.”

7. A dialog box “Turn off Device Usage Data” appears in the center of the screen. Click the orange button saying “Turn off.”

8. Repeat the same for each device that’s connected to your Amazon account. Done!

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Amazon collects your personal data on the Kindle or Fire device for two main purposes:

• For marketing – to adjust ads to your personal interests, for instance what screensaver offers you see on your Kindle model with special ads.
• To improve performance of the device and add new features in the next software updates.

Disabling this option doesn’t mean you get rid of ads on your Kindle or Fire. You will still see them, but they will be unrelated to your interests – which is already a good thing as you will be less likely to buy something you don’t need.

If privacy is something you want to know more about, make sure to read our extended list of what data ebook platforms may collect about you.

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