(Originally published in The Guardian, December 11, 2007)

starts off by defending amazon's policy decisions (for its used book market; against turning over purchasing history to fight terrorism; being judicious about applying copyright takedown notices). then explains why the kindle & its associated DRM techniques are viciously bad for the consumer. also amazon unbox (does it still exist?)

he asks: why does amazon stand up for consumer rights when it comes to physical goods, but not digital ones?

i am sure that cory doctorow knows why (even though he never talks about larger socioeconomic structures but still he must know) but at the same time, the question he poses at the very end makes me want to shout, "you idiot, you fucking moron, it's literally just capitalism"