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Library
and bookstore privacy violated
Book
enthusiasts beware — bookstore and
library records are not safe, thanks to
the Patriot Act. If you are a suspected
threat to security, your bookstore purchases
and library records can be searched for
subversive items. Even library research
done at school is subject to search under
the Patriot Act. Your Internet records can
also be read and you would never know.
The
Patriot Act, put in effect after 9/11, gives
federal officials the ability to search
bookstore and library records (among other
things) with a court order. If there is
a search, no one is allowed to say there
has been a search.
Public
libraries and bookstores are very upset
about the act. Their confidentiality is
a serious issue and libraries are trying
to find a balance between protecting privacy
and complying with national security concerns.
On
July 8, 2004 Democrats and Republicans attempted
to annul part of the Patriot Act that helps
the government investigate people’s
reading habits.
Patriot
Act supporters believe that the law has
helped curb terrorism in America. They believe
that the law has saved lives, but at what
cost?
Recently,
there was an attempt to block the court
orders that force libraries and bookstores
to hand over their records primarily because
the order threatens civil liberties. Supporters
say that private citizens’ records
will not be searched unless they are a suspected
threat.
The
real threat here is to the United States
Constitution and the liberties that citizens
are losing. So far, nothing has been accomplished
in the fight to protect library and bookstore
confidentiality.
The
House voted last year against "sneak
and peek" searches that allow searches
first and warrants afterwards. Unfortunately,
this never became law and ruled out-of-order
by the court.
The
Patriot Act makes it easier to get search
warrants because it does not require probable
cause, according to the Boston Globe. Without
probable cause, authorities can still get
library or bookstore records, but must get
a warrant or subpoena first, according to
the Associated Press.
The
ACLU is suing the FBI for its ability to
force Internet providers to share customer
information.
The
fear of terrorist interruptions during the
November election has caused more money
to be spent on the Justice department for
next year. The government claims to have
a credible understanding of al-Qaida’s
sinister plans, but there is no evidence
to back it up, according to the Associated
Press.†
Our
civil liberties are under attack, and with
it the privacy of the libraries and bookstores.
Bookstores and libraries should be exempt
from this search. People may read subversive
material, but that does not mean they are
going to blow up a building next Tuesday.
We
must protect our right to knowledge and
with it the right to privacy in pursuit
of knowledge. Unless the American masses
take note, our liberties will be chopped
away while we sit idle, until there is nothing
left.
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