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

[Richard Poynder]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for this. I assume it is a genuine question?

If so, then I could suggest you look at my web site
(www.richardpoynder.com), or e-mail the Information Today editor John
Eichorn (jeichorn at infotoday.com) and check with him. I appreciate that
that only takes you so far in establishing my credentials, but beyond
that I cannot go - so you would need to take the rest on trust, or not
as you decide.

If you are making the obvious point that my questions raise regarding
the power of the web to allow for anonymity (and therefore deception)
then it is well taken. Nevertheless, I would still appreciate any
comments on the questions I posed, or any experiences people would like
to share with me.

Best wishes,






Richard


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




-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Gray [mailto:cpgray at library.uwaterloo.ca] 
Sent: 30 July 2002 14:05
To: Richard Poynder
Cc: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: [WEB4LIB] Privacy, the USA Patriot Act, electronic
fingerprinting to replace library cards etc.


Before we answer your questions, how do we know you are who you say you
are?

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
>