Consumer Action @ http://www.Consumer-action.org/English/library/privacy_rights/

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse @ http://www.privacyrights.org/

Jason Catlett's JunkBusters @ http://www.junkbusters.org/

Each are working hard to protect public privacy interest.

There were sessions on medical privacy, financial privacy, web anonymity, national ID cards, constitutional freedoms and a gripping discussion on "Digital Divide" from Larry Irving, technology activist that coined term. Speaking were IT leaders from healthcare organizations, CEO's and Vice Presidents from major corporations, privacy advocates from respected organ- izations, attorneys and politicians of every stripe.

A universal concern among speakers and participants was lack of consumer and public discourse and education on privacy issues. The public shows nearly universal disregard for intrusions into privacy until they are personally threatened with exposure of their own private personally identifiable information.

One telling example cited was a comment from an audience member during a Q and A period following a panel discussion where he noted that convenience is friend of privacy intrusions. He stated flatly that idea that we don't like being targeted is wrong. We love being targeted until we start to realize that it is happening, then our concern rises dramatically. This in reference to how "cookies" make our web surfing experience faster and easier when we are recoginized by sites we've been to before, filling in personal data by referencing cookies set on previous visits.

It was agreed that it takes a major blunder by business where privacy information is violated, sold or mutilated before public outcry leads to privacy policy enforcement or action. Last week when YAHOO! changed their privacy policy to allow email, snail mail or even phone calls from it's "partners" there was a small fuss raised by online privacy advocates. Unfortunately even TRUSTe seal program went along with YAHOO! on that blunder by approving move and allowing continued seal program approval.

I hope that Oracle CEO, Larry Ellison is wrong when he says, "Privacy is already gone." The conference was reassuring in that it became clear that there are advocates for reasoned discourse and measured action on most important privacy issues.

So what's tradeoff?

Actually, to tell you truth, I am not exactly sure why libraries believe it is necessary to give people access to internet at all. Yes, a library should be computerized, but there are plenty of publications available on compact disk and other media. Perhaps connecting a library to internet was a mistake to begin with.

So one possible alternative is to disconnect libraries from web entirely. After all, it's getting to point where most people are connected in one way or another anyway. Thus, instead of allowing internet access, a library could build a useful and complete collection of material available on CD, DVD and so forth and make that available to public.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending upon your viewpoint) internet access for libraries is here to stay. This is one of methods that has been chosen to promote going to library, to change it from a dusty book tomb to something which is actually useful to people.

Well, another alternative is instead of trying to filter out bad stuff, why not only accept a limited subset of sites? There could be a library database of reviewed and accepted sites, and those sites would be only ones allowed to be viewed or accessed on library systems. This is, after all, way new books get added to shelves - someone reads it, decides it needs to be added to collection and it is purchased.

Using this method, you could create allow for constitutional freedoms, much as libraries do with their hardcopy materials, without allowing grossly unacceptable material into building.

Of course, question must be asked: who gets to choose what is acceptable or not?

Personally, I would not envy people on that committee.

My feeling is libraries are not intended to be pornographic movie theatres or adult bookstore arcades. PCs are everywhere and if some teenager or adult wants material he or she can find it from their home or whatever.

So I don't see need to make this material available on publicly funded library systems. We don't put Hustler and other materials in public libraries, do we? At least not out in open?

However, I also believe that other adults need to be allowed to make their own decisions as to what's acceptable and what's not. That is a fundamental right for all adults.

So like I said earlier, this is a thorny issue which will not go away soon. In fact, it will probably become more heated as time goes on and more and more materials of all kinds appear on internet. I don't envy those who do have to make hard decisions, as they will not be liked by anyone.