I'm afraid I don't understand your point. I never said anything about wiping data or canceling a contract because that's totally and completely irrelevant. The point is a car title shows proof of ownership. Beyond paying a bill, you don't have that proof of ownership for a cell phone. But even last month's Verizon bill isn't proof to Verizon or Apple that I didn't just sell my iPhone today. You certainly don't have anywhere near that proof of ownership with a Kindle.
Amazon isn't doing the easy thing. Amazon is doing the thing that isn't going to make them liable. If they don't hand over personal information, it's going to piss off an internet commenter. If they hand over information (not required by law), they are opening themselves up to liabilities as a result of releasing private information.
If law enforcement follows the proper channels, it's a non-issue. If we're arguing that an Amazon rep provided the wrong information to the customer, well, then there's nothing to argue about.
I find it mildly humorous that we jump from an individual claiming their Kindle was stolen to the FBI requesting information from Amazon. I'm not arguing what Amazon should or shouldn't do. I'm simply sharing my perspective on why they don't do it for everyone that comes asking.
The bottom line is that it's not the customer service reps place to get involved. Giving private user information out every time it is requested would be reckless. For every stolen device, there's at least one that was lost, given away, or sold.
A car that costs thousands of dollars is a little different. That's why cars have titles. You don't officially transfer anything when you sell a phone or a Kindle, other than a bit of cash and the device itself.
You're also confusing the situation by brining up LoJack or OnStar. A major part of those services is providing location data. Similar to Find my iPhone. If you want to argue why doesn't Amazon have a "Find my Kindle" feature, then I wouldn't disagree. If you're arguing that Amazon should trust anyone who asks for private user information with a compelling story, well...
Amazon isn't doing the easy thing. Amazon is doing the thing that isn't going to make them liable. If they don't hand over personal information, it's going to piss off an internet commenter. If they hand over information (not required by law), they are opening themselves up to liabilities as a result of releasing private information.
If law enforcement follows the proper channels, it's a non-issue. If we're arguing that an Amazon rep provided the wrong information to the customer, well, then there's nothing to argue about.
I find it mildly humorous that we jump from an individual claiming their Kindle was stolen to the FBI requesting information from Amazon. I'm not arguing what Amazon should or shouldn't do. I'm simply sharing my perspective on why they don't do it for everyone that comes asking.