Mostly untraceable ordering of books by mail

[F. Marc de Piolenc]

Tim May wrote:

> For physical books, there's always physical cash. (Pace the "Uncle
> Fester's" book bought in the Denver bookstore, that the Feds want the
> bookstore to reveal the buyer of.)

Right. Pay cash, and don't lodge any "want list" with the dealer, or
anything else that would reveal your identity.

> For online purchases, this trend of Feds snooping on reading habits
> could be a business opportunity for an anonymized online buying system.
> How could physical delivery be arranged?
 
> First, purchase with some form of untraceable credit card.

I believe that there exists, or existed, a debit card on the prepaid
phone card model. Show up at a retail "card store," give them cash and
get a debit card with a "credit limit" equal to the value of the card.
The card behaves like a credit card for retail purchase purposes, but
doesn't have your name on it or associated with it in any database.
Anybody know if this is still being offered?

> Second, delivery to a local bookstore or even a Mailboxes, Etc., with
> pickup by matching the ID. For a small commission.

Sort of a private Poste Restante. Neat.

> (This should not be in violation of any laws. This is not a mail cover,
> nor a money changing, etc. operation. Just a package delivery service.)

Unfortunately, the Postal Service puts pressure on the retail mail
outlets to have their customers complete a Post Office form that
"identifies" them. I can't remember whether the outfit I used actually
asked me for ID, though.

> One can imagine t.v. cameras set up, but unlikely if there are thousands
> of such delivery sites.

Relatively easy to defeat, in any case. If the identifying feature for
picking up the parcel is a number or code, rather than a biometric
feature, the simplest disguise would do the trick. You would not have to
look like anyone in particular, least of all yourself. I predict a spike
in the sale of Groucho Marx masks.

> Organizations like the ACLU, EFF, etc. could even set up such
> book-ordering services, perhaps via liberty-sympathetic lawyers in
> various cities and towns, to make the PR point that such services are
> the only way around government snooping on the citizen-units.

Hmm. Fundraising activity, anyone?

Marc de Piolenc