Amazon Kindle Fire Silk web browser server-rendering privacy issue? What about Opera Mini & Skyfire?
on September 29, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Amazon’s soon-to-be-available Kindle Fire tablet’s browser achieves its reputed high performance by using Amazon’s cloud services to perform server-side processing. There’s a bit of hand-wringing going on because of potential privacy problems related to the server side interception and processing of web page requests.
Amazon Kindle Fire’s Silk browser sounds privacy alarm bells
While this is a valid concern, it is nothing new. The widely used Opera Mini and Skyfire browsers both use server-side processing to optimize web browsing on mobile device. Opera touts this as a big win: Due to server-side rendering, Opera Mini compresses data by up to 90 percent before sending it to the phone, resulting in rapid page loading and more Web per MB for the end user. Those familiar with iPhone roaming charges will relish Opera Mini’s ability to deliver more for less, giving users the Web they want quickly, without, the high costs.
So, is Amazon’s Silk web browser something to be concerned about? Maybe. But, why aren’t people asking questions about Opera Mini and Skyfire too?