Archive for the ‘anonymous library cards’ Tag

Anonymous Library Cards

Friday, June 3rd, 2005

this is a cool idea to combat the Patriot Act, and the growing erosion of personal privacy.

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.

dap:/.