Bill > A08486

This bill, known as the Reader Privacy Act, amends New York's civil practice law and rules to establish protections for "personal information" collected by "book services," which are defined as entities primarily providing rental, purchase, borrowing, browsing, or viewing of books in any format. A "provider" is any commercial entity offering such a service, and "personal information" includes identifying details, online identifiers, and usage data, but excludes publicly available information. The act generally prohibits providers from disclosing a user's personal information to any "government entity" (any state or local agency, including law enforcement) unless specific conditions are met, such as a court order based on probable cause, a compelling interest, and the inability to obtain the information through less intrusive means, with notice to the user and provider. Exceptions allow disclosure with informed user consent, in cases of imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, or if the information is evidence of a crime against the provider or user. The bill also requires providers to have a prominent hyperlink to their privacy policy, which must detail their information gathering and dissemination practices, and for users to acknowledge they are giving up certain privacy rights by checking a notification box before accessing the service. Violations can result in civil penalties, and providers are required to publish annual reports on government information requests.