Google's Big Plan for Books

[Commentary] While the Internet has transformed much of the information world, books have been a laggard. Google may change that. It has already scanned millions of out-of-print books, and it has reached an agreement with writers and publishers — which still requires judicial approval — to make them widely available. Google's book service raises monopoly and privacy concerns. It also holds great promise for increasing access to knowledge. As a result of a settlement reached with writers and publishers, Google would be the only company with the right to "orphaned" works, books whose rights owners have not been located. If that were to happen, Google could use monopoly power to price these books exorbitantly. The court reviewing the settlement and the Department of Justice should make sure adequate protections are built in. The proposed settlement also raises privacy concerns. Google could collect data on what books people read and create a dossier of their political views and other information. Google should generally do a better job of showing how it will respect privacy, and this venture is no exception.