this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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Yeah, sorry for being confusing. The library having a record is indeed just an additional concern, personal main one is the reader's manufaturer getting telemetry, including on the DRMless books. I personally download my books from Libgen.
The passport mention is because here - at least as far as I remember - they do want your passport to sign you up for the library system. And I would just be surprised if this massive system isn't a part of the super-invasive surveillance apparatus, or at least isn't freely accessible to whoever wants it in the law enforcement (like most data out there).
Interesting. Here, a lot (most?) people don't have passports, so they don't even mention that as a valid form of ID to get a library card. All they want here is two proofs of address (utility bills work) so they know you live in the library's jurisdiction, and they don't record that anywhere AFAIK. In fact, if you have a library card from a different jurisdiction, you can generally continue using it, and if it expires, you generally just need to go in and ask them to renew (no proof of current residency needed in most libraries).
I guess libraries work a bit different here vs where you live.
By "passport" I meant "the universal ID everyone has", maybe it's named differently where you are.
Ah, we call that a "state ID." I can use it to travel between states in the US, but I can't use it to travel outside the country. Most people just have a driver's license, which is a state ID + driving endorsement. I didn't get a state ID until I got my driver's license, but I definitely had a library card before then (I think I used my school ID).
A passport, however, is issued by the federal government, is used almost exclusively for international travel, and must be renewed every 10 years (5 if you're under 18).
Even then, most libraries don't need a government issued ID, they just need picture ID and an address, and they don't record it anywhere, they just want to make sure you do, in fact, live in the city you're applying for a library card in (i.e. you didn't just steal someone else's mail).