ACLU Jumps In On Amazon's Privacy Fight

The North Carolina Department of Revenue wants to hit up Amazon for detailed info about purchases by residents of the state, but Amazon is fighting back in federal court, and now has won over the American Civil Liberties Union as a tag-team partner, WRAL of North Carolina reports.

From the story:

In a letter Thursday to Revenue Secretary Kenneth Lay, the group says it will join an existing lawsuit brought by the online retail giant if the department “persists in its demand” for North Carolina customers’ names and addresses.

“If the department persists in its demand that Amazon now additionally provide detailed user information … the constitutional rights of our clients and tens of thousands of North Carolina consumers will be violated,” the letter states.

Amazon filed suit in federal court last month to block the department’s attempt to get the information of those who bought or received items from the company since 2003.

The suit should set a precedent for how the issue unfolds in other states, so unless you want g-men finding out you ordered The Tooth Fairy you’d better be making like a Duke fan and rooting against North Carolina.

ACLU threatens to join Amazon customer privacy fight [WRAL]

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