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    Amazon to let users disable cloud acceleration on Kindle Fire Silk browser

    Amazon to let users disable cloud acceleration on Kindle Fire Silk browser

    By Dieter Bohn

    Source Electronic Frontier Foundation and Amazon Silk Browser FAQ | Via CNET

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    Amazon Silk Browser
    Amazon Silk Browser

    One of the marquee features of Amazon's upcoming Kindle Fire tablet is the web browser, called Silk. Amazon claims the browser can achieve faster speeds by offloading many of its functions to Amazon's Web Services cloud (AWS). That cloud integration may bring speed improvements, but the Electronic Frontier Foundation was among many who expressed privacy concerns with the setup. In a statement, the EFF has said that its concerns have largely been allayed, as Amazon will allow users to turn off cloud acceleration in the Silk browser's settings.

    Additionally, Amazon now says that encrypted, HTTPS traffic is not accelerated or tracked through the AWS, but rather works directly between the device and the site as it does in most web browsers. Amazon's Silk Browser FAQ states that "Amazon Silk will facilitate a direct connection between your device and that site."

    For its part, the EFF is still concerned about some of the user tracking and data collection that may occur on Amazon's servers, but that it is "generally satisfied with the privacy design of Silk."