VIDEO AND LIBRARY PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT OF 1988 JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, CIVIL LIBERTIES, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND THE LAW OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON TUE JUDICIARY ONE HUNDREDTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON H.R. 4947 and S. 2361 VIDEO AND LIBRARY PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT OF 1988 AUGUST 3, 1988 Serial No. 110 (House Committee on the Judiciary) Serial No. J-100-90 (Senate Committee on the Judiciary) Printed for the use of the Committees on the Judiciary U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 90-845 WASHINGTON :1989 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY PETER W. RODINO, JR., New Jersey, Chairman JACK BROOKS, Texas HAMILTON FISH, JR., New York ROBERT W. KASTENMEIER, Wisconsin CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, California DON EDWARDS, California HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan DAN LUNGREN, California ROMANO L. MAZZOLI, Kentucky F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., WILLIAM J. HUGHES, New Jersey Wisconsin MIKE SYNAR, Oklahoma BILL McCOLLUM, Florida PATRICIA SCHROEDER, Colorado GEORGE W. GEKAS, Pennsylvania DAN GLICKMAN, Kansas MICHAEL DEWINE, Ohio BARNEY FRANK, Massachusetts WILLIAM E. DANNEMEYER, California GEO. W. CROCKETT, JR., Michigan PATRICK L. SWINDALL, Georgia CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina BRUCE A. MORRISON, Connecticut D. FRENCH SLAUGHTER, JR., Virginia EDWARD F. FEIGHAN, Ohio LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas LAWRENCE J. SMITH, Florida HOWARD L. BERMAN, California RICK BOUCHER, Virginia HARLEY 0. STAGGERS, Ja., West Virginia JOHN BRYANT, Texas BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland M. ELAINE MCELKE, General Counsel ARTHUR P. ENDREs, JL., Staff Director ALANFF. COFFEY, JR., Associate Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, CIVIL LIBERTIES, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE ROBERT W. KASTENMEIER, Wisconsin, Chairman MIKE SYNAR, Oklahoma CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, California PATRICIA SCHROEDER, Colorado HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois GWO. W. CROCKETT JR., Michigan DAN LUNGREN, California BRUCE A. MORRISON, Connecticut MICHAEL DSWINE, Pennsylvania HOWARD L. BERMAN, California HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina RICK BOUCHER, Virginia D. FRENCH SLAUGHTER JR., Virginia JOHN BRYANT, Texas BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland MICHAEL J. REmINGTON, Chief Counsel DAVID W. BIER, Counsel VRN.I E. SWAN, Counsel SusAle L. CosKEY, Counsel THoIAs E. MooNEY,Associate Counsel JosEPH V. WoE , Associate Counsel (II) SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Delaware, Chairman EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts STROM THURMOND, South Carolina ROBERT C. BYRD, West Virginia ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah HOWARD M. METZENBAUM, Ohio ALAN K. SIMPSON, Wyoming DENNIS DECONCINI, Arizona CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania HOWELL HEFLIN, Alabama GORDON J. HUMPHREY, New Hampshire PAUL SIMON, Illinois MARE H. GrOENSTEIN, Chief Counsel DIANA HUFFAAN, Staff Director DENNIS W. SHECD, Minority Chief Counsel SuBcommi~rA ON TECHNOLOGY AND THE LAW PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont, Chairman DENNIS DECONCINI, Arizona .GORDON J. HUMPHREY, New Hampshire ANN M. HAREINS, Chief Counsel GEORGE C. SHmD, Minority Chief Counsel (III) CONTENTS TEXT OF BILLS Page H .R . 4947............................................................................................................................ 2 S .2361................................................................................................................................ 9 OPENING STATEMENTS The Honorable Robert W. Kastenmeter, a Representative in Congress from the State of Wisconsin; Chairman, Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties and the Adm inistration of Justice ............................................................................ 20 The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy, a Senator from the. State of Vermont; Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Technology and the Law........................... 18 The Honorable Carlos J. Moorhead, a Representative in Congress from the State of California....................................................................................................... 25 WITNESSES The Honorable Alfred A. (Al) McCandless, a Representative in Congress from the State of California:................................................................................................ 27 Prepared statem ent................................................................................................. 28 Judith F. Krug, Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association, Chicago, IL ............................................................................................ 34 Prepared statem ent................................................................................................. 37 Janlori Goldman, Esq., Staff Attorney, Project on Privacy and Technology, American Civil Liberties Union, Washington, DC................................................. 34 Prepared statem ent ................................................................................................. 37 Vans Stevenson, Director of Public Relations, Erol's, Inc., Springfield, VA; on behalf of the Video Software Dealers Association, Marlton, NJ........................ 34 Prepared statem ent................................................................................................. 78 Richard A. Barton, Senior Vice President, Direct Marketing Association, W ash ington , D C ............................................................................................................ 34 Prepared statement with attachment .................................................................. 90 ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS Statement of the Honorable Paul Simon, a Senator from the State of Illinois; Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution.......................................... 131 Statement of the Honorable Alan K. Simpson, a Senator from the State of W yom ing ........................................................................................................................ 133 ADDITIONAL MATERIALS Invitation to testify from the Honorable Patrick J. Leahy and the Honorable Peter W. Rodino, Jr., Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, to the Honorable William S. Sessions, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, July 26, 1988; letter of response from Mr. Sessions to Mr. Rodino, August 2, 1988 ................................................................................ 136, 138 Letter from C. James Schmidt, Chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association, Chicago, IL; to the Honorable Robert W. Kastenmeier, August 25, 1988............................................ 139 Letter from Judith F. Krug to the Honorable Robert W. Kastenmeier, Septem ber 23, 1988 ...................................................................................................... 140 (V) VI Page Letter from David R. Bender, Ph.D., Executive Director, Special Libraries Association, Washington, DC, to the Honorable Peter W. Rodino, Jr., Septem ber 26, 1988 ...................................................................................................... 142 Letter from John H. Buchanan, Jr., Chairman, and Arthur J. Kropp, Presi- dent, People for the American Way, Washington, DC, to the Honorable Robert W . Kastenmeier, October 3, 1988................................................................ 143 Letter from Duane E. Webster, Executive Director, Association of Research Libraries, Washington, DC, to the Honorable Robert W. Kastenmeier, Septem ber 26, 1988 ...................................................................................................... 145 Letter from the Honorable Robert W. Kastenmeier and the Honorable Don Edwards, Chairman, Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, to the Honorable Louis Stokes, Chairman, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Septem ber 22, 1988............................................................................... 146 Letter from Thomas M. Boyd, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice, to the Honorable Robert W. Kastenm eier, Septem ber 27, 1988 ............................................................................. 148 VIDEO AND LIBRARY PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT OF 1988 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1988 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, CIVIL LIBERTIES, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, AND U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND THE LAW, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC The subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 9:40 a.m., in room 2237, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Robert W. Kastenmeier (chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice) presiding. Present (House): Representatives Kastenmeier, Berman, Cardin, Moorhead, DeWine, Coble, and Slaughter. Present (Senate): Senators Leahy and Simon. Staff present (House): Michael J. Remington, chief counsel; Vir- ginia E. Sloan, counsel; David W. Beier, counsel; Joseph V. Wolfe, associate counsel; and Judith W. Krivit, clerk. Staff present (Senate): Ann M. Harkins, chief counsel; Marc S. Rotenberg, counsel; Susan P. Kaplan, counsel; and Jill D. Fried- man, clerk. Mr. KASTENMEIER. The meeting will come to order. [Copies of H.R. 4947 and S. 2361 follow:] (1) 2 I 100TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION Ho R*4947 To amend title 18, United States Code,