Naperville Police Captain Ray McGury said he felt the law was intended to prevent authorities from spying on citizens [the practice of a police state], not to prevent library staff from assisting police fight crimes committed in libraries. “I asked them, ‘If a child is snatched from this library do I have to get a search warrant to get information on who was here?’ and they said, ‘Based on the state law, yes.’ God forbid that happens.”This article, exhibiting excellent reporting by Sean O'Connor, presents a great case study of the interactions of citizens, and two types of public servant (police and librarians) within the context of identity management.
The main point of tension is between the library's policy and the police officer's duty. In this case, the identity management process is in some sense a witness to a crime.
Biometrics were never adopted in the Naperville libraries but a healthy debate seems to have taken place surrounding their proposed use.
Those interested in topics such as Society and the Individual, Privacy vs. Anonymity, and Identity Management should find the linked article highly worth reading in its entirety.
