US Libraries Concerned About NSA Spying

The U.S. National Security Agency’s spying is currently worrying libraries, who are supporting a law that would defend the right to read and research far away from the prying eyes of the government. In that regard, those centers are endorsing a legislative measure to curb the NSA’s power, as highlighted this Wednesday by the digital newspaper The Hill, specializing in Congressional topics, describing the climate of the existing concerns.

“You need to have a little freedom to learn what is important without having to worry about whether it will end up in some FBI file,” said Alan Inouye, director of the Office for Information Technology Policy of the American Library Association.

Under the Patriot Act, for example, the FBI has the power to force libraries to hand over user data.

The media reported that the NSA’s activities seem to go much beyond traditional police work, reflecting an almost ravenous collection of information, according to Lynne Bradley, director of the Office of Government Relations of the ALA.

The Hill states that the documents leaked by former NSA employee Edward Snowden show that the agency collected large amounts of “meta-data” from Internet activity and telephone calls, which reveal when the call was made, who was involved and how long it lasted. Those study centers record when someone logs onto a computer, the websites that they visit and when books are borrowed and returned which seem to fit the mold of what the spy agency is looking for.

“We are talking about the information patterns about people. If that isn’t personal, I don’t know what is,” said Inouye.

Like Internet companies, libraries are prohibited from disclosing NSA petitions. The ALA is concerned about the fact that local libraries are obliged to keep silent about governmental spying.

According to Greg Nojeim, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology of the Freedom, Security and Technology Project, there are a variety of legal mechanisms that the government can use to force libraries to turn over information. He added that the concern is certainly legitimate.

The proposed bill for challenging the NSA’s practices, known as the Freedom Act of the United States, is sponsored by Republican representative James Sensenbrenner.

“We do not want library users to be monitored because that would inhibit learning, reading and creativity,” stated Inouye.

*Editor’s Note: The quotations in this article, accurately translated, could not be verified.