Amazon has ******* the ability to encrypt data on its consumer devices in the latest update to its
Fire OS operating system.
The change effectively kills local
Encryption on the company's range of
Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers and streaming media devices, leaving the data on these devices vulnerable to attacks and potentially accessible to thieves if the devices are stolen.
Kindle Fire,
Fire Phone,
Amazon Fire HD, and
Amazon Fire TV Sticks are all affected after users accept the
Fire OS 5 update.
The Verge reports that
Amazon forum members first flagged the
Encryption removal on February 21,
Before the change was picked up by Twitter user David Scovetta yesterday.
While Apple fights the good fight, @Amazon removes Encryption as option From FireOS 5 | @csoghoian @**rmative @eff pic.twitter.com/nggBdtFG7j
— David Scovetta (@davidscovetta) March 3, 2016
It's unclear why
Amazon would choose to reduce the security of its devices, but the change is **t a new development and was actually a decision made months ago, according to the company.
"In the fall when we released
Fire OS 5, we ******* some enterprise features that we found customers weren't using," an
Amazon spokesperson stated to various press outlets. "All
Fire tablets' communication with Amazon's cloud meet our high standards for privacy and security, including appropriate use of encryption."
The news comes amid Apple's
high-profile dispute with the FBI over its refusal to comply with a court order compelling the company to create software that would unlock the phone of terror suspect Syed Rizwan Farook.
Dozens of tech**logy companies, industry trade groups, and
Encryption experts have been
submitting documents to support Apple, all
catalogued on Apple's website. Yesterday,
Amazon also put its name to an amicus brief in support of the company's stance.
Tag:
Apple-FBI
Discuss this article in our forums
أكثر...