"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past…"

Digital Culture

Inspired by Justin’s ema

Inspired by Justin’s email to Senator Edwards, I just fired off one of my own in response to the news that Senator Orrin Hatch has introduced legislation to eliminated the “sunset” date of the Patriot Act.

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Dear Senator Edwards,

It has come to my attention today that there is a measure within the congress to make the PATRIOT act a standing piece of legislature and remove the sunset date. This is appalling news, and I must say that as an opponent of the PATRIOT act from day one it concerns me greatly. In the post-9/11 US, it seems that individual liberties and freedoms are being eroded in the name of national security, when in fact it is those liberties and freedoms that make this country great.

As a librarian, I see myself as a defender of these freedoms of privacy and speech.

I oppose the so called “PATRIOT II”, I oppose the extension or elimination of the sunset date for PATRIOT, and I believe that it is time that the government stop reacting to world events with a campaign of fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Thank you,

Jason Griffey

By griffey

Jason Griffey is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at NISO, where he works to identify new areas of the information ecosystem where standards expertise is useful and needed. Prior to joining NISO in 2019, Jason ran his own technology consulting company for libraries, has been both an Affiliate at metaLAB and a Fellow and Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and was an academic librarian in roles ranging from reference and instruction to Head of IT at the University of TN at Chattanooga.

Jason has written extensively on technology and libraries, including multiple books and a series of full-periodical issues on technology topics, most recently AI & Machine Learning in Libraries and Library Spaces and Smart Buildings: Technology, Metrics, and Iterative Design from 2018. His newest book, co-authored with Jeffery Pomerantz, will be published by MIT Press in 2024.

He has spoken internationally on topics such as artificial intelligence & machine learning, the future of technology and libraries, decentralization and the Blockchain, privacy, copyright, and intellectual property. A full list of his publications and presentations can be found on his CV.
He is one of eight winners of the Knight Foundation News Challenge for Libraries for the Measure the Future project (http://measurethefuture.net), an open hardware project designed to provide actionable use metrics for library spaces. He is also the creator and director of The LibraryBox Project (http://librarybox.us), an open source portable digital file distribution system.

Jason can be stalked obsessively online, and spends his free time with his daughter Eliza, reading, obsessing over gadgets, and preparing for the inevitable zombie uprising.

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