A request by the North Carolina Department of Revenue for personally identifiable information (PII) on customers from an online retailer violates privacy rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). CNET reports that the ACLU has intervened on behalf of Amazon customers in a lawsuit the company filed in April over the request for purchase records for customers with North Carolina shipping addresses. The company did provide such information as product codes and shipping areas, but its decision to withhold specific user information prompted the state agency to threaten legal action, the report states. According to Katy Parker, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation, "There is no legitimate reason why government officials need to know which North Carolina residents are reading which books."
Full Story