Amazon Fights for Customers' Privacy and Rights Against N. Carolina Taxmen

Amazon fights demand for customer records
(Declan McCullagh, 4/19/2010 CNET News)

"Amazon.com filed a lawsuit on Monday to fend off a sweeping demand from North Carolina's tax collectors: detailed records including names and addresses of customers and information about exactly what they purchased.

"The lawsuit says the demand violates the privacy and First Amendment rights of Amazon's customers. North Carolina's Department of Revenue had ordered the online retailer to provide full details on nearly 50 million purchases made by state residents between 2003 and 2010.

"Amazon is asking a federal judge in Seattle to rule that the demand is illegal, and left open the possibility of requesting a preliminary injunction against North Carolina's tax collectors.

""The best-case scenario for customers would be where the North Carolina Department of Revenue withdraws their demand because they recognize that it violates the privacy rights of North Carolina residents," Amazon spokesperson Mary Osako told CNET." [The article continues.]

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By the way, Google has started to post the number of government requests worldwide for censorship and for turning over the personal information of Google's users, at www.google.com/governmentrequests.

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