LISNews: Librarian News

A report declassified and released Friday from Inspector General Glenn Fine found that, while FBI investigators did not abuse their powers in the case, the Patriot Act anti-terrorism law "amplified the consequences" of the FBI 's misidentification of a fingerprint by allowing numerous agencies to share flawed information. The report acknowledges that there was an "unusual similarity" between the fingerprints, confusing three FBI examiners and a court-appointed expert. But Fine's office also found that FBI examiners failed to adhere to the bureau's rules for identifying latent fingerprints and that the FBI's "overconfidence" in its skills prevented it from taking the Spanish police seriously.

Search-Engines writes "After a long battle with Congress that went down to the wire, President Bush signed a renewal of the USA Patriot Act today, a day before 16 major provisions of the old law expire.Bush said the Patriot Act is vital to win the war on terror and protect Americans. He recalled the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and said the country is still at war. More"

The Senate on Today gave its blessing to the renewal of the USA Patriot Act after adding new privacy protections designed to strike a better balance between civil liberties and the government's power to root out terrorists. "Our support for the Patriot Act does not mean a blank check for the president," said Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who voted to pass the bill package. "What we tried to do on a bipartisan basis is have a better bill. It has been improved."

The Elgin Courier News - Elgin,IL - has an Interesting Look At patron privacy. Libraries in the area have recently tightened Internet access. Many libraries that formerly allowed visitors to simply walk up to a computer and surf the Internet now mandate that patrons first punch in identifying information, such as their library card number, before accessing the Internet.

Library employees cite this as an example of keeping up with the times and increasing patron convenience.

However, they say, it also raises privacy concerns, an issue that was spotlighted when the U.S.A. Patriot Act — which expanded the government's authority to fight terrorism — was adopted in October 2001.