Amazon reverses 'backward' decision to remove encryption from Fire tablets

Amazon has reversed its decision to remove a security feature in its Fire OS software that protects sensitive information stored its tablets, e-readers and other hardware devices, The Guardian reports.

“We will return the option for full disk encryption with a Fire OS update coming this spring,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

Multiple requests for clarification about when this update might be released, and with what devices it will be compatible, have yet to receive a response from the company.

Amazon previously said that it removed full disk encryption from devices running the newest version of Fire OS because few people used the feature. This change left the financial data, personal messages and other private information of Amazon customers vulnerable to attackers with physical access to affected devices.

“That is just completely backwards,” said Jon Oberheide, the chief technology officer of Duo Security. “You don’t ask a user to opt-in to device security controls. The average user doesn’t understand what that means to them, and they shouldn’t have to. That sort of security feature should just be enabled by default.”

Amazon’s decision predated the debate between Apple and the FBI over whether the company has to weaken the security of an iPhone used by a San Bernardino shooter – the Fire OS update was released in September – but it still provided a stark contrast between Amazon’s support of Apple and its actions.

Amazon has been chastised by the marketplace. They couldn't have chosen a worse time for this to come out.

Security experts criticized Amazon over its apparent hypocrisy. Those complaints seem to have had an effect: Amazon’s decision came only after widespread backlash, even though its customers complained about the issue via the company’s online support center months before it attracted the public’s attention.

“The sad thing is that there’s not much that can be done outside of influencing public opinion,” says Oberheide.

“The press plays a strong role in amplifying the issues users are facing, because those users often don’t have a strong voice, even though they’re the ones ultimately affected by these decisions.”


Increased scrutiny resulting from the conflict between Apple and the FBI may have played a part in Amazon’s reversal. Much of Silicon Valley has lined up in support of Apple and strong encryption tools, and making its devices less secure put Amazon out of step with the rest of the tech industry at a key moment.

“They have been chastised by the marketplace,” says John Kindervag, Forrester’s vice president and principal analyst for security professionals. “ If they would’ve done this before the Apple-FBI kerfuffle, people probably wouldn’t have noticed or thought about it. But it looks like they’re backing off on privacy, or not being on the side of tech industry and consumer privacy. They couldn’t have chosen a worse time to come out with this announcement.”

The FBI claimed Apple was motivated more by its marketing priorities than in helping the agency investigate terror attacks. Even if that wasn’t Apple’s intention – the company has said it is contesting the FBI’s demands to defend customer privacy – marketing does play a factor.

“At the end of the day it’s a PR thing,” says IDC research director Scott Strawn. “Apple had a really good reason to bring it to the forefront, but they really have the most to gain from it, and Amazon and Google really have to play defense on this.” He says that these circumstances, together with increasing interest in privacy and security features from consumers, forced Amazon’s hand.

“You could easily see that fade away if this case never goes anywhere and it drops out of the public eye, but given the set of circumstances I think [Amazon] had to choose to be nimble,” he says.

The company’s ability to sell the low-cost Kindle Fire tablets and its other hardware products might depend on it.