An interesting piece from the US which raises the question in the subject
line - are UK libraries considered as Internet Service Providers
Mark Perkins MLIS, MCLIP
www.markperkins.info
https://keyserver.pgp.com/
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 4:06 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PLGNET-L:11538] Fwd: 11/2/2007 Chronicle - "Campus Librarians
Fight Proposed Expansion of Surveillance Powers
FYI, sm
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2517
"Campus Librarians Fight Proposed Expansion of Surveillance Powers"
College librarians are leading a charge against measures in the House and
Senate that would grant federal intelligence agencies great latitude in
gathering data on library patrons. The bills, which are intended to replace
a temporary law amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, would
let the government force "communications-service providers" to hand over
information about the activity of users who are not U.S.
citizens. Government officials would not be compelled to demonstrate
probable cause that subjects are spies or terrorists, reports The Washington
Post.
(The Department of
Justice has stated that libraries are considered to be Internet-service
providers.) Campus librarians say it's all too easy to imagine scenarios in
which federal investigators look in on foreign students who just happen to
use library machines or networks as they conduct research at American
colleges or from overseas. The Association of Research Libraries, the
American Library Association, and the Association of American Universities
are lobbying to have the bill amended. So far, though, the response from
lawmakers has not been encouraging.
"You know what happens if that gets into the bill?" asked Sen.
Christopher S. Bond, a Missouri Republican who helped craft the Senate
measure, of the amendment favored by the library groups.
"You would have your libraries filled with al Qaeda operatives."
--Brock Read
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--
Susan L. Maret Ph.D.
[log in to unmask]@yahoo.com
________________________________
----- Forwarded message from Wired Campus <[log in to unmask]> -----
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:47:00 EDT
From: Wired Campus <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Wired Campus <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: 11/2/2007 - The Chronicle's Wired Campus Newsletter
To: [log in to unmask]
THE WIRED CAMPUS
A daily glance at education-technology headlines
for Friday, November 2.
A service of The Chronicle of Higher Education
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"U. of Oregon Says No to John Doe"
Add the University of Oregon to the small but growing list of
institutions that are fighting the recording industry's
antipiracy lawsuits: The university is asking a federal judge to
quash subpoenas seeking the names of 17 campus song-swapping
suspects. The Recording Industry Association of America asked
Oregon officials to forward pre-litigation notices -- which
offer discounted rates for out-of-court settlements -- to the
students earlier this year. But the university declined, so the
trade group went ahead and filed a "John Doe" subpoena that
called on Oregon to name students identified only by
Internet-protocol numbers. When faced with similar subpoenas,
most colleges have acquiesced. But according to Ars Technica,
Oregon officials enlisted the state attorney general's office to
help them argue that they simply cannot identify the students the
RIAA wants to sue. Most of the students did their file sharing
from the university's wireless network, campus officials say,
and several others used computers in double-occupancy dorm
rooms. Students have to enter user names when they log on to the
campus network, but the university says it cannot conclusively
determine whether the people who signed on to the network were
the ones guilty of copyright infringement. Oregon officials say
they don't have the resources to conduct a more thorough
investigation on the recording industry's behalf. The John Doe
subpoena "requires the university to create discoverable
material to assist plaintiffs in their litigation rather than
merely disclose existing documents," wrote the university in an
affidavit. --Brock Read
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2518
"Campus Librarians Fight Proposed Expansion of Surveillance Powers"
College librarians are leading a charge against measures in the
House and Senate that would grant federal intelligence agencies
great latitude in gathering data on library patrons. The bills,
which are intended to replace a temporary law amending the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, would let the government
force "communications-service providers" to hand over
information about the activity of users who are not U.S.
citizens. Government officials would not be compelled to
demonstrate probable cause that subjects are spies or
terrorists, reports The Washington Post. (The Department of
Justice has stated that libraries are considered to be
Internet-service providers.) Campus librarians say it's all too
easy to imagine scenarios in which federal investigators look in
on foreign students who just happen to use library machines or
networks as they conduct research at American colleges or from
overseas. The Association of Research Libraries, the American
Library Association, and the Association of American
Universities are lobbying to have the bill amended. So far,
though, the response from lawmakers has not been encouraging.
"You know what happens if that gets into the bill?" asked Sen.
Christopher S. Bond, a Missouri Republican who helped craft the
Senate measure, of the amendment favored by the library groups.
"You would have your libraries filled with al Qaeda operatives."
--Brock Read
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2517
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