The rationale of “I don’t want to admit I was wrong”.
Now that is amusing. It really is a cult thing.
I was wrong – they don’t have to report you. You are also wrong – LE doesn’t need a court order. I think most people know enough about the Patriot Act to know it seriously infringes on our right to privacy, which is, imho, a very good reason to dislike it.
“Section 215, which became known as the “library records provision,” not only allowed law enforcement agencies to secretly monitor electronic communications emanating from libraries, it also required librarians to turn over patron information if requested and even imposed a gag order on those forced to comply, thus preventing them from telling anyone”
In general, how does the Library handle requests for records from law enforcement?
Typically, a court of competent jurisdiction must subpoena requests for borrower records. Based on the advice of the City Attorney in each case, the City Librarian releases the records only if the subpoena is legal and binding upon the Library.
How has the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act changed how the Library handles requests for borrower records from law enforcement?
Basic protocol remains the same: the request is forwarded to the City Librarian whose response is informed by the advice of the City Attorney. Under the USA PATRIOT Act, requests may come in the form of a search warrant rather than a subpoena.
So a warrant instead of a court order, still a warrant is issued by a Judge.
And to that end, as I think this discussion should be limited to the events leading up to the Inauguration, I am going to request that this thread be closed so it remains a historical testament to the events of the past 2+ months.
Here is this thread’s replacement: