Amazon drops encryption for Fire OS 5 operating system

Photo of author

By Larry Banks

As Apple and the FBI wait a congress ruling concerning their encryption battles, Amazon has just dropped encryption on Kindle, Fire Phones, Fire Tablets and Fire TV devices that run Fire OS 5.

The upcoming change will affect millions of users of the devices, and make them all much less safe. Encryption on the devices links data access to a password that the owner knows. Now, the data, which includes credit card numbers and purchase history, will become much less safe when it’s kept in the memory of your device.

The move to drop encryption from the Fire OS 5 devices has given rise to a huge wave of customer complaints on social media and the company’s own support forms.

Amazon Fire OS 5 EncryptionEven more bizarre, is the fact that Amazon just filed an amicus brief in support of Apple, right before dropping encryption in its own products…

So far, there has been no official response from the web retail giant, but if you’re concerned about your data security, it’s wise to avoid devices running Fire OS 5 for the time being.

Meanwhile, Apple’s fight against the FBI’s request to gain access to the iPhone 5c used in the San Bernadino terrorist attack continues.

SOURCE: TheNextWeb.com.

Images Courtesy of DepositPhotos