Patriot Act
The USA Patriot Act is a law that broadly expands the ability of the government to investigate electronically and surveil both U. S. citizens and foreign nationals around the world. It was pushed hurriedly through the U.S. Congress within weeks[1] of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. by Al Queda. Described by the Electronic Frontier Foundation as representing "one of the most significant threats to civil liberties, privacy, and democratic traditions in US history"[2], the controversial law is still in effect today, and per the EFF, it gives "sweeping search and surveillance to domestic law enforcement and foreign intelligence agencies and eliminates checks and balances that previously gave courts the opportunity to ensure that those powers were not abused."[2]
References
- ↑ Public Law 107–56, a.k.a. the Patriot Act, was made official on October 26, 2001.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Description of the dangers of the Patriot Act from the Electronic Frontier Foundation website, a non-profit defending civil liberties online
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