To input into the computer from a peripheral device (keyboard, mouse, storage) or the network. Like reading a book or playing a DVD, reading does not destroy what is read.
Every Read and Write Is a Copy
Every transfer of data is a "read" and a "write," which makes it a copy. Reading a sector in a hard drive also means writing that sector into RAM, which makes it a copy of the data in storage. Data are copied around memory by reading and writing the memory bytes. See
write,
read/write and
digital perfection.