Letter published in the Western Morning News, 27 June 2002. This encapsulated early concerns about People's Network computers

No privacy

Over the last 50 years, failures of state-sponsored 'obscenity' trials have helped establish the right for adults to decide what to read. Public libraries purchase pulp fiction as well as serious and reference works. It is also well established that any book can be taken to a quiet place in a library and studied in private.

Yet now, with computers replacing reference books, librarians seem intent on monitoring our every thought and deed. The screens on the latest machines, at least in Sidmouth and Honiton, are so large and have been so positioned that privacy is impossible. They can be read from 12ft or more away by both staff and casual onlookers.

Library ticket numbers have to be entered before use, enabling an electronic audit trail of who has visited which websites, and when. The Internet has many serious uses including ending the monopoly power of High Street banks and travel agents. On-line banking and share dealing requires privacy. So does accessing medical and other reference web sites and sending e-mails.

All of the latest visual and electronic "supervision" in Devon libraries is allegedly to prevent use of a few undesirable websites - yet these are filtered out anyway by the Devon County Council server.

Who is therefore being disadvantaged and to what real purpose? A few sad souls who might find greater solace in a few images rather than by wading through a rancid novel? Or the rest of us who are in effect being denied dignified access to our computers for legitimate medical, financial, reference and private purposes?

Dr Stephen J Wozniak
Sidmouth