Theoretically, any device that uses DRM and provides firmware updates can be programmed to remove non-DRM content.

In practice, nobody will ever be stupid enough to do such a thing. Amazon’s misadventure is evidence enough; class-action lawsuits would be the least of their worries.

Generally speaking, hardware vendors don’t care what their gadgets are used for. It is only with the recent emergence of service-driven connected platforms like the iPhone/iPod, BD live Blu-Ray players, and gaming services like XBOX-live and PSN that terms of use have become enforcement issues on hardware devices. For example, Microsoft’s XBOX Live service can detect which consoles have been modified (presumably to facilitate cheating) and block them from the service. Theoretically, they *could* remotely kill the device but that is a can of worms no company wants to open. So, while illegally modified consoles can be used to play unlicensed (“pirated”) games, none of the console manufacturers dares go that far. It simply isn’t worth the price. N
Banning the console is considered penalty enough for violating the terms of use of the system/service.

Bottom line is that, in addition to reading the warranty fine print, buyers of connected devices should read and understand the Terms of Use; it is, in effect, a legally enforceable contract.

What Amazon is now, belatedly, doing is clarifying those terms as they relate to content delivery and management.

Reading through the terms, it is pretty clear that another mass-deletion incident is something that almost certainly won’t happen again. Still, the terms they describe are in line with the terms of use of other content-baed online services so odds are that Sony and anybody else following in their footsteps with connected readers will have to adopt similar terms.

It is just the nature of the game at this point.

I don’t want software updates that I don’t choose to download and install. I don’t like the idea of anyone messing with my files without my prior knowledge and permission. At all.

Sony could do that and if they did they’d never have me as a customer. I’d be very angry if I had a reader and they started something like that.

But then again, just about any device that can receive software updates could have the ability to remove files. For example, the Sony readers are supposed to get an update to allow epub as standard format, phasing out the current one. They could, if they really wanted to, have the program to remove all books not purchased for their store or make changes to do the same thing every time the device is connected to the user’s library. I doubt very much they’ll do it, but it should be technically possible.