On 8/15/14, 12:07 PM, Eric Hellman wrote:
> AddThis and ShareThis, on the other hand have TOS that let them use tracking for advertising, and that's what their business is. So, hypothetically, a teen could look at library catalog records for books about childbirth, and as a result, later be shown ads for pregnancy tests, and that would be something the library has permitted.

Eric, I'm wondering about the full scenario that you are envisioning. 
Many libraries use proxy servers, so individual users are not 
identified. (Meaning that an 80-yr-old man may get the ad for the 
pregnancy test, not the teen.) In addition, in many cases the machine 
wipes itself clean daily, replacing all potential user files. (Someone 
else can explain this MUCH better than I just did.)

In my public library, I do not identify myself to the use the catalog on 
site -- not even to use journal article databases, because 1) 
authentication takes place in the library system 2) the proxy server's 
IP is my identity for those services. I have no idea what exits the 
library when I hook my laptop to the open network. Shouldn't all of 
these factors be taken into account? Can anyone articulate them from the 
point of view of a public library?

Note: At the university here at Berkeley, no network use is allowed 
without an account, so there is no anonymous use, at least on the human 
side of any proxy server that they run. But at the public library there 
is no log-on. So what is AddThis getting in those two situations?

kc

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Karen Coyle
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