Patriot Act: Difference between revisions
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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<ref name=WhenPassed /> of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the [[United States/Definition|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"<ref name=EFF />, 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."<ref name=EFF /> | 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<ref name=WhenPassed /> of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the [[United States/Definition|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"<ref name=EFF />, 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."<ref name=EFF /> The Americal Civil Liberties Union believes most parts of the law to be unconstitutional, citing "unchecked government power to rifle through individuals' financial records, medical histories, Internet usage, bookstore purchases, library usage, travel patterns, or any other activity that leaves a record"<ref name=ACLU />. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 09:52, 20 January 2023
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] The Americal Civil Liberties Union believes most parts of the law to be unconstitutional, citing "unchecked government power to rifle through individuals' financial records, medical histories, Internet usage, bookstore purchases, library usage, travel patterns, or any other activity that leaves a record"[3].
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
- ↑ How the Patriot Act may be unconstitutional from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)