ALA: Petition Drive to Amend the Patriot Act

The USA PATRIOT Act threatens your privacy in bookstores and libraries. It gives the FBI the power to apply to a secret court for an order compelling the surrender of records of the books you purchase or borrow.
The government does not have to produce any evidence that you are a terrorist-or even that you are suspected of any crime. The order also gags booksellers and librarians, making it illegal to reveal that your records have been searched.
In 2004, more than 200,000 Americans signed petitions urging Congress to restore protections for reader privacy that were eliminated by Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. We were heard! The House of Representatives nearly prohibited bookstore and library searches under Section 215.
Section 215 is scheduled to expire on December 21, 2005, but many in Congress want to make it permanent. The book community opposes re-authorizing Section 215 unless it includes safeguards that protect the privacy of our reading records.
Don’t let the government read over your shoulder! Sign our petition today.
Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Washington Office, along with the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, Association of American Publishers, and PEN American Center, are sponsoring a petition drive to urge our representatives in Congress to support legislation that amends section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.