Librarians Raise Privacy Concerns Over Age Verification Bill

The Coalition of Alberta Public Libraries issued a letter raising privacy concerns over Bill 28, or the Municipal Affairs and Housing Statues Amendment Act, in Alberta, which requires age restrictions on library materials.

The letter states:

The government has indicated that regulations under Bill 28 may require age-based restrictions on borrowing and access to materials. Enforcing these restrictions could require proof of age, parental consent verification and staff-mediated access, creating new barriers for Albertans simply trying to use their public library. These requirements raise unanswered questions about privacy protections, acceptable forms of identification, and how people without government-issued ID, including seniors, people without fixed addresses, and newcomers, would be able to access materials lawfully.

The letter states that the bill would apply to all 324 public library “service points” represented by the coalition, serving 99 percent of Albertans.

“We are concerned about this proposed legislation because of the ways in which it undermines free speech, expression, local decision-making and the privacy of Albertans,” Sarah Meilleur, CEO of Calgary Public Library, told the Calgary Herald.

“For us, it’s also about expanded government oversight, the ability for inspectors to come into public libraries, inspect records, understand what is being circulated that creates real, serious privacy concerns for Albertans and everyone using public libraries in Alberta,” she continued.

The bill echoes age verification bills we’ve seen in the past for online activities like websites and app stores, but this one is notable in that it expands the requirements to a public service like the library.

Normally, locally-appointed library boards are trusted to make decisions about library materials. But this bill imposes regulations on a preciously municipally managed service, and risks stretching the already thin funding even thinner. The letter states:

Recent polling by Janet Brown Opinion Research found that 82 per cent of Albertans trust public libraries to make appropriate decisions about materials, compared to just 46 per cent who trust the Government of Alberta on the same question. Sixty-nine percent of Albertans prefer those decisions to be made locally by trained staff guided by local boards, and 60 per cent oppose provincial laws or regulations restricting access to library materials.

They also say that formal complaints about inappropriate materials in the library are extremely rare, indicating that the current system is working well.

Libraries have faced attacks from politicians lately. As one of the last remaining public spaces where you can go that don’t ask you to buy something or constantly target you with ads, they make a juicy target for those with an agenda to push.