Is the Patriot Act inhibiting online bookselling? “Compared with companies that sell their wares only in stores, online businesses – particularly those engaged in selling so-called expressive materials like books, music and videos – are good candidates for law enforcement requests under the Patriot Act. While off-line customers can avoid creating an audit trail by paying cash for their purchases, consumer anonymity is hard to achieve online, where transactions typically involve credit cards and shipping addresses.”