Kindle App and Amazon’s Stupid Location Block Discrimination

“Get Kindle app! Get Kindle app!!”, my friend kept hounding me. Eventually, I succumbed and downloaded the damn thing to my phone.

However, for a little over four weeks, I didn’t even open the new downloaded app to see what it was all about. During a training class at work, a few books were mentioned as required reading. I had gone to Debonair bookstore to order some of the books already, then I thought of my Kindle book app. Quickly, I launched the app and searched on how to buy a book on it.

On the Amazon website (Amazon are the guys behind Kindle), I navigated to the Kindle store, where I found the book, happily clicked on it, at which point a little green icon flashed to the right hand side. I totally ignored it, went ahead to add to my cart and went on to look for other books. At this point I observed that I didn’t see any Add To Cart icons again! Haa!

I searched again and again, yet nothing changed. I thought to myself, What’s going on? So, I started the process of ordering all over again, and presto! The little green thing came up again. This time, I checked it out, and what I saw made my blood boil. Here it is:

I was irritated and visibly angry. I picked up the phone and called my friend who said, “That’s the annoying thing that these folks and Apple do”. Did I mention that he is a hater of Apple’s “regimented life style”? He couldn’t help but mention my Apple inside this Kindle matter. Anyway, he went on to tell me that I have to use a UK or a US address/location to be able to buy some books on Kindle, otherwise those items would remain unavailable to me.

So my questions:

1. What does Amazon mean by this?
2. Are there books that our Internet bundles can’t download?
3. Are there books we can’t afford to read and understand?
4. Are there things we from this clime aren’t suppose to know or learn from their books?
5. Are there books that we can’t pay for?
6. Or are there books that the payment with African Cards can’t afford to be debited for?

I am just as irritated as confused right now!!!! Why would a book app have locations you can’t buy from? What’s the essence of books by the way? They would prefer that I lie about my location so I can buy a book? A friggin’ book? Issokay!

• This article was contributed by Chika Ozoemena, an enthusiast and a committed learner.

Author: Guest Contributor

This article is a guest contribution sent in for publishing. It is not the work of our in-house staff or editorial team.