Congressman has privacy concerns over Kindle Fire's Silk browser

Will the Silk Web browser bundled in the forthcoming Amazon Kindle Fire tablet computer collect too much information about users? A U.S. congressman wants to know.

The $200 Kindle Fire isn't due out until mid-November. When it was announced last month by online retail giant Amazon, many lauded Silk, which preloads Web pages based on a user's previous history to speed up browsing.

Last week, Congressman Ed Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking for clarification: Specifically, Markey asked for the types of data being collected by the Silk browser and how that data may be used—or sold to others—by Amazon. Said Markey in a statement:

Consumers may buy the new Kindle Fire to read '1984', but they may not realize that the tablet's 'Big Browser' may [be] watching their every keystroke when they are online.

Amazon had stated previously that the Silk browser collects its data in aggregate, stripping out any personal identifiable info, and stores the browser information for no longer than 30 days.

Letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (PDF) [Rep. Edward Markey]
Amazon Silk Browser Privacy Probed by Congress [eWeek]
US Congressman writes to Amazon with Silk privacy concerns [UK Inquirer]
Kindle Fire sparks lawmaker privacy worries [Politico]

—Paul Eng