[Koha] patron anonymity scenarios, was Re: user comments

[Emile Snyder]

On Fri, May 03, 2002 at 11:18:29AM -0400, Nicholas Rosasco wrote:
> 
> > But this might be a small price to pay if there is danger of you being
> > forced to reveal the data. I remember just recently actually a bookstore
> > somewhere in the US refused to reveal a patrons purchase record..
> > Cant recall
> > specifics but it was on slashdot.org. So I can see how its a legitimate
> > concern that someone may demand it..
> 
> Monica Lewinsky is the ... incident ... you are thinking of.  It is also a

I might be getting way off topic here, but a more recent slashdot story is

http://slashdot.org/articles/02/04/08/1652203.shtml?tid=123

and involves the bookstore "Tattered Cover" in Colorado where police got an
overly broad search warrent for the purchasing records of a suspect in a
drug case.  The Colorado supreme court recently overturned an appelate court
decision, finding in favor of the bookstore.  The decision was an
interesting and heartening read.

One of the comments on /. linked to a more disturbing piece

http://editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1454789

that points out that the newly passed USA Patriot Act gives the FBI the
power to sieze records of books bought or borrowed under the authority of a
secret court (the Foureign Intelligence Surveillance Court) and further
makes it a crime for the institution in question to reveal that the records
were taken.

-emile