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

[Richard Poynder]

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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