Why do Libraries Care about Privacy?
According to the American Library Association, "The right to privacy – the right to read, consider, and develop ideas and beliefs free from observation or unwanted surveillance by the government or others – is the bedrock foundation for intellectual freedom." Library users must be able to select and access information and ideas without fear of "embarrassment, judgment, punishment, or ostracism". A lack of privacy could lead to a significant "chilling effect on library users’ willingness to exercise their First Amendment right to read, thereby impairing free access to ideas."
-American Library Association. (2021, October). "Privacy." https://www.ala.org/advocacy/privacy