Re: EFF: National Coalition of Authors Urge Rejection of Google Book Search Deal

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Ken Kousky" <kkousky () ip3inc com>
Date: September 8, 2009 10:20:24 AM EDT
To: <dave () farber net>, "'ip'" <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: RE: [IP] EFF: National Coalition of Authors Urge Rejection of  
Google Book Search Deal

The goal must be transparency in the surveillance and choice by the
consumer.

Technology will continually encroach on privacy but it's important to
realize that by historical norms, much of today's anonymity results  
simply
from rapid urbanization and is not a historical or global norm. We can't
read books from the library without the librarian, and others, knowing  
our
reading habits. Talk to your mailman someday and you'll learn how much  
he or
she knows about you. It's hard to keep your reading habits truly  
private.

Today, we have an online generation that is willing to share vast  
amounts of
personal data in order to opt in for other services. Book reading is the
same way - the library knows but access is free. It's your CHOICE.  
That's
all that's really required in most cases.

The difference that technology promises to provide is the CHOICE between
privacy and disclosure. Disclosure can bring great benefits that might
include free content for the right to be target marketed. As long as the
surveillance is clearly disclosed and one can choose, we're making  
progress.

KWK



-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 10:06 AM
To: ip
Subject: [IP] EFF: National Coalition of Authors Urge Rejection of  
Google
Book Search Deal


Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Contact:

Rebecca Jeschke
 Media Relations Director
 Electronic Frontier Foundation
 press () eff org
 +1 415 436-9333 x125

Jason Schultz
 Director
 Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic
 jschultz () law berkeley edu
 +1 510 642-1957

Robyn Shepherd
 Media Relations
 American Civil Liberties Union
 media () aclu org
 +1 212 549-2666

National Coalition of Authors Urge Rejection of Google Book
Search Deal

Ability to Track Readers Puts Privacy at Risk

New York - A coalition of authors and publishers --
including best-sellers Michael Chabon, Jonathan Lethem, and
technical author Bruce Schneier -- is urging a federal
judge to reject the proposed settlement in a lawsuit over
Google Book Search, arguing that the sweeping agreement to
digitize millions of books ignores critical privacy rights
for readers and writers.

The group of more than two dozen authors and publishers,
represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF),
the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the
Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic at the
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
(Samuelson clinic), filed an objection to the settlement
today.  The coalition is concerned that Google's collection
of personal identifying information about users who browse,
read, and make purchases online at Google Book Search will
chill their readership.

"Google Book Search and other digital book projects will
redefine the way people read and research," said Lethem,
winner of a National Book Critics Circle Award.  "Now is
the moment to make sure that Google Book Search is as
private as the world of physical books.  If future readers
know that they are leaving a digital trail for others to
follow, they may shy away from important intellectual
journeys."

The settlement, currently pending approval from a New York
federal district court, would end the legal challenges
brought by the Authors' Guild over the Google Book Search
project.  It would give Google the green light to scan and
digitize millions of books and allow users to search for
and read those books online.  However, Google's system
could monitor what books users search for, how much of the
books they read, and how long they spend on various pages.
Google could then combine information about readers' habits
and interests with additional information it collects from
other Google services, creating a massive "digital dossier"
that would be vulnerable to fishing expeditions by law
enforcement or civil litigants.

"I believe that the fear of tracking will create a chilling
effect on my readers and reduce my readership, and
therefore my revenue, from these books," said Schneier, a
computer security expert.  "Moreover, I write these books
in order to participate in the public debate on security
issues.  Reduced readership negatively impacts my
expressive interests as an author."

In the objection filed today, the coalition asks the court
to require Google to create a robust privacy policy that
gives readers as much privacy in online books as they have
in a library or a bookstore and to ensure that the policy
is enforceable and overseen by the court on an ongoing
basis.  The authors and publishers present a list of
privacy protections that would improve the settlement,
including limiting tracking of users by requiring a court
order or judge-approved warrant before disclosure of the
information collected, ensuring user control of personal
information stored by Google, and making the system
transparent to readers.  After much pressure from EFF,
ACLU, the Samuelson clinic, and others, Google finally
issued a privacy policy for Google Books on September 3,
2009.  However, that policy doesn't guarantee that Google
will require court approval before disclosing reader
information, and it doesn't sufficiently limit Google's
retention of that information.  It is also changeable by
Google at any time.

A hearing on the fairness of the proposed Google Book
Search settlement is set for October 7, 2009, in New York.

For today's filing:
http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/authorsguild_v_google/File%20Stamped%20Brf
.pdf

For more on this case:
http://www.eff.org/cases/authors-guild-v-google

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2009/09/08

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


   -end-

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