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ACLU v. Gonzales – Patriot Act and Data Collection on Library Patrons

ACLU press release: “The American Civil Liberties Union today disclosed that the FBI has used a controversial Patriot Act power to demand records from an organization that possesses “a wide array of sensitive information about library patrons, including information about the reading materials borrowed by library patrons and about Internet usage by library patrons.” The FBI demand was disclosed in a new lawsuit filed in Connecticut, which remains under a heavy FBI gag order.”

  • The redacted version of the ACLU’s complaint (18 pages, PDF).
  • See also this research paper, The USA PATRIOT Act: What Librarians Should Know to Protect the Privacy and Confidentiality of Their Patrons, by Supriya Wronkiewicz and The USA Patriot Act Redux: Should We Reauthorize or Repudiate the Post-9/11 Authorities? by Lee Strickland. [LibraryLawBlog]
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