Privacy Groups Want Google Book Search Safeguards

By Scott Morrison

of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)-Privacy advocates on Thursday sent a letter to Google Inc. (GOOG) expressing concern that the Internet giant's book search service could compromise reader privacy.

The groups, which include the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at Berkeley Law School, called on Google to incorporate strong privacy protections in both the architecture and policies of Google Book Search.

Rebecca Farmer, an ACLU spokeswoman, said government efforts to compel online and offline booksellers to provide user data is a real concern. In one instance in 2006, she said, the federal officials demanded book purchase records of 24,000 Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) customers.

"Given the long and troubling history of government and third party efforts to compel libraries and booksellers to turn over records about readers, it is essential that Google Books incorporate strong privacy protections in both the architecture and policies of Google Book Search," the letter said.

Google has come under increasing scrutiny from privacy advocates as the Internet search leader tries to push into new businesses. The company wasn't immediately available for comment.

The letter is also the latest twist in Google's effort to make many millions of digital books available on the Internet.

An agreement struck to resolve a copyright dispute between Google, authors and publishers has come under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, which said antitrust issues raised by the deal warrant scrutiny by the agency.

The revenue-sharing agreement gives Google copyright licenses over millions of digital books it has scanned since 2004 to include in its book search service and to sell in digital form to consumers and libraries.

Shares in Google recently were up 3.02% at $440.61.

-By Scott Morrison; Dow Jones Newswires; 415-765-6118; scott.morrison@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 23, 2009 14:04 ET (18:04 GMT)

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