[governance] Example of Corporate Internet Authoritarianism - Amazon does not allow Pakistan to download Kindle Software for PC's

[Fouad Bajwa]

Issue: Example of Corporate Internet Authoritarianism - Amazon does
not allow Pakistan to download Kindle Software for PC's

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I would like to share an example of how Corporate Internet
Authoritarianism may affect us from the developing world that I
recently encountered. The case presented is that Amazon.com's Kindle,
an e-book reader device available for - Amazon does not allow Pakistan
to download Kindle Software for PC's.

The IGF in Sharam El-Sheikh was a very fascinating event. Apart from
the many issues and arguments that arose this year, the participants
displayed use of some fascinating devices for recording or following
through the proceedings that many of us developing world people have
neither seen nor have access to. The major fascination for me was from
small FLIP HD Camcorders and various types of E-book Readers.  During
the IGF or while flying over to the event, I saw many kinds of
wireless e-book readers like Amazon.com's Kindle and some other
European models in the hands of people from the developed world. Upon
asking them the price of their devices they were all US$300 and above.
Here is the link to Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B0015T963C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259153142&sr=8-1-catcorr

Bringing my fascination of Wireless E-Book Readers back to Pakistan, I
have been trying to figure out how do various e-books and reports
appear on an e-book reader and whether some special format is required
to view books on such readers. I attempted to access the report
"Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age
(Kindle Edition) by The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of
Communities in a Democracy http://report.knightcomm.org/" through
Amazon.com Kindle version.

In order to read such a report on a Kindle device without a Kindle,
one has to have the Kindle E-Book Reader software installed on their
PCs. The following is the message that was displayed on the link given
below in a test attempt to download the Kindle Software for my PC in
order to read the Kindle version of the report "Informing Communities:
Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age (Kindle Edition) by The Knight
Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy"

a. Kindle Software Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc/ref=kcp_pc_lnd_dtl_3

b. Knight Commission's Report Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Informing-Communities-Sustaining-Democracy-ebook/dp/B002RCZAIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255448042&sr=1-1-spell

c. Kindle Software Denial Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc/download/ref=amb_link_85354831_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1YM290GP1HNEPAGQSKS4&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=494702651&pf_rd_i=1000426311

Message on Page:
We're sorry. Kindle for PC is not currently available in Pakistan.
Are you traveling outside your country?
Sign in to see if Kindle for PC is available for download in your country.
›Continue shopping the Kindle store

Would this mean that if I actually had a Kindle, I would not get
support for it or would not be allowed to have a PC version of the
Kindle software program? Interestingly Amazon.com allows you to
continue shopping but doesn't allow Pakistani's to download the Kindle
Software. Isn't that a wonderfully incredible approach from the one of
the world's e-commerce giants that continue to contribute to
increasing the digital divide over software offerings that they give
in the developed world for free but we from the developing world
cannot access it!

Print screen to see the error is posted on my blog at
http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.org

-- 
Regards.
--------------------------
Fouad Bajwa
Advisor & Researcher
ICT4D & Internet Governance
Member Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF)
Member Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC)
My Blog: Internet's Governance
http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.com/
Follow my Tweets:
http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa
MAG Interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVDW1tDZzA
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