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I did spend some time to confirm that the kind of scanning I do is legal in Switzerland before I started. I agree with Harry that it's exceedingly unlikely that I'd be called to account, but I'm fussy that way.
Slayda's point is well taken. If, in fact, I did actually entertain any hope of being appointed to the federal bench, I not only wouldn't admit to scanning books, but I wouldn't be participating in this forum at all, or at least I wouldn't be expressing any opinions on matters of public policy.
And this, I think, shows the problem. People who are, or someday want to be, candidates for a high-profile public office should probably steer clear of contributing to internet fora all together--there's just too much risk that something they write will be taken out of context and used against them down the road. I think this is too bad--I don't know how many future federal judges there are reading this, but I'd like to think that they're smart and interesting people, and that the rest of us are poorer for the fact that they don't share their thoughts.
What Amazon is doing, though, has the potential to impoverish our public life even more. If all those future federal judges stop reading controversial books because they're afraid that it might look bad later in life ... Well, they're going to be worse judges.
And it's not just the future judges who need to worry. "Homeland Security" would, I suspect, deny you a visa to visit the U.S. if they know you're reading the wrong kind of literature. You might not get a job as a teacher in a public school if certain members of the school board learn that you read books with bad ideas in them--you might corrupt little children. And you won't get elected to that school board if certain people know that you read the same kind of books.
Electronic books are wonderful because they make it easier to read. But if they also make you more fearful about your reading, that benefit is purchased at a dreadful cost. And I think that, in its own self interest, Amazon should consider taking some steps to reduce that fear.
--Readingaloud
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