Amazon has updated its terms of purchase for its US Kindle e-books, making it clear that customers are licensed content rather than ownership. The new statement reads:By placing an order, you purchase a license for the content and agree to the terms and conditions of use of the Kindle Store.“This update is specific to US customers. International users continue to look at the previous language, but the message is the same. You don’t own it. We’re just letting you use it.
From February 26th, 2025, Amazon will be offering “Download and transfer via USBKindle device features. This means that users will no longer be able to download Kindle Books directly to their computers, as access to purchased content is entirely dependent on Amazon’s cloud infrastructure. This change points to subtle truths about ownership and reinforces simple facts. If someone else can take it, it’s not yours.
This is not just an Amazon issue, it applies to all content and materials in the current digital age. Your favorite songs and albums on the streaming app are not accessible without an internet connection. Limit the number of devices you can listen to and insert ads unless you pay a monthly fee. The era of records, tapes, and CDs allowed you to listen freely to the freedom you wanted, resell, or give it to your friends.
What does it mean to own something? Ownership is usually understood as an act or state of ownership of something. In this case, we clearly own the content, but we can change it or change it at any time. It is not true ownership. Oxford states that ownership is defined as “an exclusive right to use, own and dispose of property.” Therefore, ownership requires exclusivity.
What about other intangible digital items, such as money or identity? Have names and handles on social media and emails. It’s you, it’s your online portrait, persona and content you created. You cannot have two people with the same name or handle. That exclusivity is enforced by the account’s password, but that account can be locked, banned or deleted at any time by Facebook or X’s decision. What about that money in your bank account? You own it and you have a legal right to it, but the banks freeze your accounts and the government always seizes the funds. It is not true ownership.
So I ask again: what does it mean to own something? It’s not enough to own it. It’s not enough to have exclusivity or even legal rights. To truly own something, you must be able to enforce its ownership and exclusivity. In the physical world, enforcement mainly comes down to the threat of coercion and violence or actual use. Evict notice from the Sheriff’s Office, armed guards in front of the safe, and redrawing of the postwar border. In the digital domain, encryption serves this purpose, while at the same time eliminating the need for violence by making power effective. It creates ownership that is not voided by violence. You cannot break strong encryption. The government can seize servers and businesses can shut down their accounts, but if the data is encrypted and the key is private, the information is inaccessible. The only way to access encrypted assets is by consent.
Encryption doesn’t just protect digital ownership. It changes the nature of power. It removes violence from the equation. So it’s very destructive.
Digital signatures on encrypted systems are a way of proof of ownership and control in the digital world. PGP allows you to sign messages and files, and prove that they come from you and have not been changed. Nostr, a decentralized social media protocol, works the same way. Your posts and identity are tied to your private key, not to a company that can ban you or delete you. Bitcoin illustrates this principle. Controlling your private keys means you can only access and manage your funds. Signing a Bitcoin transaction allows you to access and move your money. Banks cannot freeze it. The government can’t grab it without your key. True ownership is the power to enforce that ownership.
The bitcoin axiom comes to mind: “Not your key, not your coin.” “Not a key, not a coin” means that you do not own a Bitcoin private key unless you control it. When you keep Bitcoin in exchange, the exchange holds the key, not you. They can freeze your account, limit withdrawals, or even lose your funds. Securities and retirement accounts using Bitcoin ETFs can be frozen or seized just like bank accounts. True ownership means holding a key. Because you have complete control over your money, identity and property.
The transition from physical to digital has made it easier to access, but ownership is dark. Whether it’s a book, music, identity, or money, simply owning is an illusion of ownership. Companies can revoke access, governments can seize funds, platforms can erase their identity, but encryption changes it. Ownership is enforceable by mathematics, not by law, business, or institution. If you need true digital ownership, the rules are simple. Control the key or someone else is the true owner.
This is a guest post by Will Jager. The opinions expressed are entirely unique and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
This post is not your key, not your content: Ownership in the digital age first appeared in Bitcoin magazine and is written by Will Jager.
