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| BATTLING BIG BROTHER ON THE BOOK SHELF |
| Recently, in the name of "fighting terrorism" and "protecting the children", the Federal government has rammed through legislation allowing the FBI to obtain search warrants without probable cause, having to say only that it's part of a terrorism investigation. One of their major targets lately have been libraries and book stores - Uncle Sam, the nosy pervert, wants to know what you are reading, because what you read may make you a "risk." Rest assured, this is not investigation; this is censorship through intimidation, because most people will hesitate before reading anything contradicting the government line if they have reason to believe that doing so may make them suspects in a terrorism investigation, and earn them a visit from "the men in black." There are ways around having Big Brother read over your shoulder, though. Some of them may cross the lines of legality (If that worries you.), so use at your own risk. Some have suggested that all libraries and book sellers purge their files on a regular and fairly frequent basis. Less customer service is a fair trade off for more privacy, and the Feds can't look at records if they're no longer there. Some have suggested buying all your books at a store with cash. This works well, but the selection is limited. Never uses a preferred customer or other discount card, and never pay by check or credit card, if you're interested in keeping your privacy. If you must use a library or mail order your books, some have suggested getting one person to do all the ordering or checking out, then distributing the books to those who wanted them. Some have even suggested violating copyright laws by copying the books or scanning them and putting them on CD rom. Some have suggested that you could even become a book seller yourself, and aid in the free distribution of knowledge by distributing controversial, hard to find works, then purging your customer's files immediately after the return period has passed. |
| REMEMBER: To Protect YOUR Privacy, ALWAYS: *Deal in cash or barter* *Never use credit cards, checks, preferred customer cards, etc.* *Use privacy-conscious vendors* *Use proxy buyers* *Most importantly, USE YOUR HEAD!* NEXT PAGE ~ LAST PAGE ~ HOME ~ McCAUSLAND PLAN ~ LINKS |