Is Amazon Taking Away Your eBooks? The Shift Toward Controlling Digital Ownership
Why Amazon’s latest move to restrict eBook downloads could signal a future of limited access and subscription-only models.
In recent years, we've seen a growing trend to move toward subscription streaming services and Amazon seems to be the latest business moving in this direction with its new eBook model. Recently, Amazon eliminated users’ ability to download their purchased books, a change that could have significant implications for the future of eBook ownership.
This shift raises concerns about control, censorship, and whether Amazon is pushing users toward subscription-only services like Kindle Unlimited. What does it mean when we no longer truly own the books we buy? And where could this lead?
Security and Data Protection
Preventing users from downloading books to third-party devices has pros an cons. Firstly, by limiting licensing of Amazon purchased materials to Amazon proprietary ecosystem, it reduces the risk of piracy and illegal file-sharing which protects the intellectual property rights of authors and publishers. It protects independently published authors especially, who have in the past been kicked off of platforms like Amazon and Kindle Unlimited because their books were pirated.
But I’m going to say that again…. Independently published authors have had their work banned from Amazon’s platform… because their books were pirated. And my question is, why are we ever punishing the author when their work is stolen.
Lack of True Ownership
The biggest issue with Amazon’s restrictions on downloads is the question of ownership. When we purchase a physical book, it’s ours to keep, lend, or even resell. But when digital books are tied to a specific platform, we’re not truly owning the book—we’re simply being granted access to it on Amazon’s terms. If Amazon changes their policies or your account is locked for any reason, you could lose access to the books you’ve purchased.
This makes me think that Amazon’s plan is to switch permanently to Kindle Unlimited. Like streaming movies, TV, and music, will books move to an on demand only model? And if so, how does this impact small authors? If Amazon eliminates individual ebook purchases in favor of this model, we could be looking at a future where owning digital books is no longer possible.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) Restrictions
DRM restrictions further complicate the situation. Books purchased on Amazon are tightly locked with DRM, preventing users from backing them up or converting them for personal use on unsupported devices. While this protects the publisher’s rights, it severely limits the reader’s ability to control and preserve their purchased content in a format of their choosing.
With Amazon already locking in something like 80% of ebook sales in the US, this further locks in our dependency on Amazon as a monopoly in the industry.
What’s at Stake?
If this trend continues, we could see the end of true eBook ownership. Amazon’s restrictions might provide certain conveniences, but they come at the cost of autonomy, access, and long-term ownership. With these changes, Amazon is inching closer to creating a closed system where readers don’t own their digital content—they merely rent access to it.
For readers who value building a personal library, preserving unaltered works, and having full control over their books, this is a worrying development. While services like Kindle Unlimited may be convenient for some, we must consider the broader implications of this shift. What are we giving up in exchange for that convenience? And is it really worth it?
This feels Awful. What Can I do?
Read my next article to find out!