Government officials often act as more than representatives of their people — they pursue an interest apart from their people, an often intrusive one into the lives of private citizens. In North Carolina, online retailer Amazon has filed a lawsuit to prevent block a North Carolina Department of Revenue request for individually identifiable information on thousands of Amazon.com purchases.
Amazon has already provided the State of North Carolina with product codes that show which items were purchased, but has filed suit to continue to withhold “individually identifiable user information, including names and addresses that could be linked back to the individual purchases, but asserts that the NCDOR continues to insist that such information be disclosed.”
The American Civil Liberties Union recently wrote to the North Carolina Department of Revenue, indicating a willingness to join the suit on Amazon’s behalf if the NCDOR does not withdraw its request for information that would reveal to state bureaucrats which books, movies, and other products individuals bought. What books and movies on topics of religion, psychology, personal health, and anything else that consumers might purchase would be in the hands of state officials.
Here’s part of an ACLU press release on the North Carolina request:
From Aden Fine, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project:
“The Constitution guarantees Americans the right to read and buy the lawful materials of their choice without the government keeping tabs on the details of their purchases. Amazon was right to stand up for the rights of its customers and to refuse to turn over their personal information to the North Carolina Department of Revenue.”
From Jennifer Rudinger, Executive Director of the ACLU of North Carolina:
“The ACLU is not taking issue with the Department’s authority to collect taxes on the value of these purchases, but there is no legitimate reason why government officials need to know which North Carolina residents are reading what books or purchasing which specific brands of products. We hope to be able to work out a satisfactory resolution to this matter so that consumers in North Carolina can rest assured that their privacy is protected.”
Well said. The press release includes the full text of a letter that the ACLU sent to North Carolina officials about their overreaching request.
If anyone might otherwise wonder, these requests to identify which books these customers purchased was not made in a faraway and benighted place, but to an American company, asking for information about Americans’ purchases, while in their own country.