Amazon said that the Fire OS 5 update removed local device encryption support for the Kindle Fire, Fire Phone, Amazon Fire HD, or Amazon Fire TV Stick was because the feature did not register a frequency in its use.
One of the features removed includes one that allowed owners to encrypt their device with a pin which, if entered incorrectly 30 times in a row, deletes all the data stored on it. On-device encryption scrambles data so that the device can only be accessed if the user inserts the correct password. Cryptologist Bruce Schneier did not agree with the Amazon’s move to remove the feature and called on the company to restore it.
Amazon spokeswoman Robin Handaly said that the company had removed the encryption feature for Kindle Fire tablets in the fall when it launched Fire OS 5, a new version of its tablet operating system.
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