I too have had some misgivings about those kind of orders but, as the article points out, at least the state has to show probable cause to obtain such an order, which is a higher standard that what they currently have to meet in these investigations. So to me that kind of makes sense and has some safeguards in it to keep the government in check.
But by the same token we expect our law enforcement agencies to investigate and protect us form those who would do us harm. We can't very well expect them to investigate if we don't allow them to have the tools to do investigations, and taking a look at what someone is reading or researching would certainly be one way of investigating them.
"We don't even have to sign a card in the back of the book anymore to leave a permanent record of what we've checked out."
I have also found it somewhat disturbing that for years now, if you purchase a book at the bookstore and pay for it with a credit card, a record is automatically generated as to what you bought. So I have made it a practice for many years that if I purchase a book that in the most remote way could be construed as something other than what it is, I pay cash for it. Fortunately I don't purchase many books that could fall into that category.
Videostores typically keep a record of your renting as well.
In Japan, a ghastly murder of a schoolboy who was decapitated and his head placed on a post on a fence prompted police to run checks on customers who had rented particularly gory/violent films. None were guilty, the crime was committed by a classmate.
The only guarantee against this type of intrusion is for businesses to avoid keeping these close tabs on their customers. To me, that data is costly to store and of very little use.
Knowing that someone bought "Bias" is good to note that "Bias" is still selling. To know that I bought "Bias" and the DVD of "Tommy" is of little relevance. It certianly would give no indication that my next purchase would be "Sushi at Home: A Beginner's Guide To Japanese Cooking".
The grocery stores are into this habit too now.
Meanwhile law enforcement has been trying to reduce the barriers to looking at your medical records. To me, there is absolutely no reason they should ever be permitted access to this data, let alone with a court order.