InkskyMost people never think about what their e-reader is doing while they read. But every page turn, every highlight, every book you open and abandon — that data is being collected, stored, and used. In 2026, the privacy landscape across major e-reader platforms is clearer than ever. Here’s what each one tracks and what you can do about it.
Kindle: the most data-hungry
Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem collects everything. Time spent reading per session, reading speed, how far you get before abandoning a book, every highlight and note, every book you browse in the store, even your device location. Amazon uses this to train recommendation algorithms and, according to their privacy policy, may share aggregated data with publishers.
If you keep Wi-Fi on and sync with Goodreads, Amazon knows your entire reading history with granular precision. The only way to minimize this is to keep your Kindle in airplane mode permanently and sideload books via USB — but then you lose Whispersync, store access, and library borrowing.
The Kindle app on phones collects even more: device identifiers, app usage patterns, and sometimes coarse location data. Read anything you’d rather keep private? Don’t read it on a connected Kindle.
Kobo: better, but not perfect
Kobo collects reading progress, bookmarks, annotations, and store browsing behavior — similar to Kindle in scope — but the company’s privacy policy is notably more restrained about third-party sharing. Kobo is owned by Rakuten, a Japanese company subject to GDPR even for non-EU users when data is processed in certain jurisdictions, which provides some additional protections.
Kobo’s device-level tracking is less aggressive than Kindle’s. You can disable reading stats entirely from the settings menu, and unlike Kindle, Kobo doesn’t require an account to use the device — you can set up with a fake email and never connect to the store. OverDrive borrowing does require authentication, but the borrowing history lives on the library’s side, not Kobo’s.
Boox: Android means everything and nothing
Boox devices run Android, which means the privacy picture is entirely about which apps you install. The stock Boox OS collects diagnostic data (which you can opt out of), but the real concern is the apps. If you install the Kindle app on a Boox, you’re handing Amazon the same data they’d get from a Kindle device. If you install the Kobo app, same deal with Kobo. If you install Google Play Services, Google enters the picture.
The Boox approach is paradoxically the most private and least private option. You can strip it down to a bare reading device with KOReader and no network services, and it’s essentially untrackable. Or you can log into everything and leak data to three companies simultaneously. The choice is yours, but the responsibility is also yours.
DRM: the legal gray area
The DRM on most commercial ebooks ties your purchase to a specific ecosystem. Removing DRM for personal format-shifting — converting a Kindle purchase to read on a Kobo, for example — exists in a legal gray area that varies by jurisdiction. In the US, the DMCA prohibits circumventing DRM even for personal use, though enforcement against individual users is essentially nonexistent. In many EU countries, format-shifting for personal use has stronger legal protections.
The practical reality: tools like Calibre with the DeDRM plugin exist, work reliably, and are widely used by readers who want genuine ownership of their purchases. This article describes the landscape for educational purposes only — I’m not recommending any specific course of action, and you should understand your local laws before making decisions about DRM removal.
What you can do today
The single most effective privacy move: keep your e-reader in airplane mode and sideload everything via USB. This cuts off all telemetry dead. Use a computer-based library manager like Calibre. Buy DRM-free books from stores like Standard Ebooks, Smashwords, or direct from publishers who offer DRM-free options.
If you use library services like Libby or OverDrive, your borrowing data is protected by library privacy laws in most jurisdictions — librarians fought hard for reader privacy long before e-readers existed, and those protections carry over.
Your reading life is personal. Treat it that way. Know what data you’re trading for convenience, and decide whether the trade is worth it.