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Privacy Editorial

Anonymous Library Cards An Option? 369

Posted by Zonk
from the bespectacled-librarians-fight-back dept.
Ben Ostrowsky writes "On the heels of the possibility of requiring fingerprinting to use library resources, librarians don't like hoarding personally identifiable information; many are keenly aware of privacy concerns. Now it appears that anonymous library cards may be a possibility on the horizon. Tell your librarian you want to be anonymous!" From the article: " You've seen anonymous cash cards already; you may even have received them before. They're better known as gift cards. Using the same principle, libraries can issue a borrower card that uses cash, rather than personal ID information, as collateral. Here's an example: If a privacy-minded user deposits $20 to get an anonymous library card, she can check out The Terror State without identifying herself. Her account balance is temporarily reduced by $15, and when the library checks the CD back in (in good condition), her balance is restored to its original value."
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Anonymous Library Cards An Option?

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  • Seven! (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 03, 2005 @08:38AM (#12712923)
    Oh, great.

    So, now how is Brad Pitt going to find the next serial killer to terrorise him and his wife?
  • by Bud (1705) on Friday June 03, 2005 @09:27AM (#12713249)

    If a privacy-minded user deposits $20 to get an anonymous library card, she can check out The Terror State without identifying herself. Her account balance is temporarily reduced by $15, and when the library checks the CD back in (in good condition), her balance is restored to its original value.

    Borrowing The Terror State from your local library: $20

    Parking your car anywhere: $50

    Fast lane at the airport, bypassing extra security checks: $100k

    Bypassing all important security checks: $10m

    Bypassing all security checks and paying for it with American oil money: priceless.

    --Bud

I'm still waiting for the advent of the computer science groupie.

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