For some time now, librarians and the private information they guard have been the target of the Feds. It has given us a considerable amount of credibility as to the value of libraries as an institutional part of the fabric of society.
It appears that Google now shares that platform, considering the subpoena issued by the FBI to Google to make available materials and search records for a one-week period, in order to identify illegal pornography.
While many librarians view Google as a formidable opponent in the battle for the title of Ultimate Search Engine, I suggest that we are closer kin than we acknowledge. How many of us secretly hit Google first, to get our heads around a reference question?
Will librarians defend privacy of personal information, even as it applies to Google?
“Radical Militant Librarian” buttons are on sale at the ALA website for $2. From the ALA website: Inspiration for the button’s design came from documents obtained from the FBI by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The request revealed a series of e-mails in which FBI agents complained about the “radical, militant librarians” while criticizing the reluctance of FBI management to use the secret warrants authorized under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. Of course, in part because of the efforts of “radical militant librarians” arguing on behalf of their users’ right to read freely, without government interference or surveillance, Congress voted to extend its debate on the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act. https://www.ala.org/ala/oif/basics/basicrelatedlinks/radicalbutton.htm
