[WEB4LIB] Privacy, the USA Patriot Act, electronic fingerprinting to replace library cards etc.

[Chris Gray]

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On Tue, 30 Jul 2002, Richard Poynder wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I'm a freelance journalist, and have been asked to write something for
> Information Today (http://www.infotoday.com/it/itnew.htm) on privacy
> issues in the library. The stimulus for this is the current debate in
> the US over the Patriot Act and the use of it by US enforcement agencies
> to ask to see details of what books patrons have been reading. I
> understand that the University of Illinois has done some research in
> this area for instance. But I believe there have also been discussions
> about the use of library filters in connection with privacy and the web,
> with electronic fingerprinting to replace library cards (see for
> instance the UK story at:
> http://www.observer.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,764247,00.html), and
> with proposals in, for instance the UK, to introduce ID cards that would
> double up as library cards (and driving licence etc.), and no doubt
> there are other privacy issues facing librarians today.
> 
> The sort of issues I am interested in include:
> 
> 
> To what extent is the Patriot Act being used to check on the reading
> habits of library patrons? How has this changed the situation? Is this
> good or bad?
> 
> What other privacy issues are there that librarians should be aware of?
> 
> What should librarians do to protect the privacy of their patrons?
> Should they?
> 
> What duties (legal and ethical) do librarians have to society/law
> enforcement agencies to reveal sensitive/private information? 
> 
> Do librarians have librarian/client privilege?
> 
> Do library training courses currently include ethical issues like
> privacy? Should they?
> 
> What's the world coming to if I can't read with anonymity a library
> book? 
> 
> Or is this merely a fair and unnoteworthy price to pay for protecting
> the world against terrorists?
> 
> Is this mainly a public library issue, or are there similar/different
> issues for academic and corporate libraries?
> 
> How much is this a specifically US issue? 
> 
> Are there comparable issues in other countries? What issues?
> 
> In what way is technology changing the debate? Is it?
> 
> What is the current situation, for instance, with regard to library
> automation systems: are they encouraging the use of new technological
> methods that might cause privacy concerns (maintenance of records on
> reading habits/ electronic fingerprinting techniques etc.), or are they
> being designed to automatically erase records. Is this good or bad?
> 
> Are there issues also with regard to the tracking of usage of online
> databases like Dialog/Lexis-Nexis etc.? What issues?
> 
> Other issues?
> 
> I welcome comments for anyone with views and/or personal experience of
> this. I am happy for any comments to be on or off the record (so long as
> I know who has contacted me), and I have no pre-set agenda or story line
> to spin. I just want to explore the issues. As such I would be keen to
> hear from both those who vehemently oppose anything they view as
> amounting to an invasion of privacy, as well as those who may think it
> is a small price to pay for national/international security, and can't
> see what the problem is.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Richard Poynder
> 
> 
> Richard Poynder    
> Freelance Journalist
> Phone: + 44 (0)191-386-0072
> Mobile: 0793-202-4032
> E-mail: richard.poynder at journalist.co.uk
> Web: www.richardpoynder.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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