It has long been recognized that the freedom to read without worrying about who is looking over your shoulder plays an essential role in the freedom of thought and speech necessary for a robust democracy. When the government and third parties have tried to collect and use evidence of reading habits in order to identify individuals with unpopular thoughts and beliefs, pivotal court decisions, state laws, and the ethics of librarians and booksellers have safeguarded the privacy and free speech of readers and helped to support the free exchange of ideas and open discourse. As ever-increasing numbers of readers move from physical books and libraries to digital book services, it is imperative that reader privacy be safeguarded.

Digital book services can provide consumers with many benefits such as access to books that might not be locally available, the ability to quickly search through books for specific words or phrases, and the ability to carry hundreds of digital books on a device that weighs less than a single hardcover. But readers must not be forced to pay for the convenience of digital books with their privacy.