What is USA Patriot Act?

The USA Patriot Act is a law passed shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States that gave law enforcement agencies broad powers to investigate, indict, and bring terrorists to justice. It also led to increased penalties for committing and supporting terrorist crimes.

The USA Patriot Act deters and punishes terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad through enhanced law enforcement and strengthened money laundering prevention. It also allows the use of investigative tools designed for organized crime and drug trafficking prevention for terrorism investigations.

More about USA Patriot Act The Patriot (Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism ) Act was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush less than two months after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. The law gives law enforcement authorities greater latitude to develop and implement antiterrorism policies, including the ability to monitor and detain citizens suspected of sympathizing with or having links to organizations or individuals that authorities believe have direct ties to terrorist activities. In a lively discussion, Brill defended some of the Patriot Act's provisions and other developments that have appeared to restrict the rights of certain immigrants; Meissner and Martin, meanwhile, were more critical of the law and subsequent Justice Department policies, arguing that they have unfairly targeted innocent people and had an overall chilling effect on civil rights in the United States.

Details of the Patriot Act

According to the Department of Justice, the Patriot Act simply expanded the application of tools already being used against drug dealers and organized crime. The act aimed to improve homeland security by:

· allowing law enforcement to use surveillance and wiretapping to investigate terror-related crimes.

· allowing federal agents to request court permission to use roving wiretaps to track a specific terrorist suspect.

· allowing delayed notification search warrants to prevent a terrorist from learning they are a suspect.

· allowing federal agents to seek federal court permission to obtain bank records and business records to aid in national security terror investigations and prevent money laundering for terrorism financing.

· improving information and intelligence sharing between government agencies

· providing tougher penalties for convicted terrorists and those who harbours them

· allowing search warrants to be obtained in any district where terror-related activity occurs, no matter where the warrant is executed.

· ending the statute of limitations for certain terror-related crimes

· making it harder for aliens involved in terrorist activities to enter the United States.

· providing aid to terrorism victims and public safety officers involved in investigating or preventing terrorism or responding to terrorist attacks.

· Many of the Patriot Act’s requirements were slated to expire in 2005. Whether to renew the act was passionately argued in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

Despite continued civil liberties and privacy concerns, President Bush signed the USA Patriot and Terrorism Reauthorization Act on March 9, 2006.

Did the Patriot Act Prevent Terrorism?

Depending on whom you ask or what you read, the Patriot Act may or may not have prevented terrorism.

According to a 2015 article, the Justice Department admitted, “FBI agents can’t point to any major terrorism cases they’ve cracked thanks to the key snooping powers in the Patriot Act.”

But a 2012 report from the conservative Heritage Foundation states 50 terrorist attacks have been thwarted since 9/11, with 47 being the direct result of the work of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. They claim the Patriot Act is essential to helping law enforcement identify leads and prevent attacks.

In 2004 testimony before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, FBI Director Robert Mueller said, “the Patriot Act has proved extraordinarily beneficial in the war on terrorism and has changed the way the FBI does business. Many of our counterterrorism successes, in fact, are the direct results of provisions included in the Act…

He also stated that without the provisions in the act, “the FBI could be forced back into pre-September 11 practices, attempting to fight the war on terrorism with one hand tied behind our backs.”

Patriot Act and Privacy Debate

Despite the supposed noble intentions behind the Patriot Act, the law is still hotly debated. Civil rights groups have claimed it violates American citizens’ Constitutional rights and allows the government to spy on them without due process, search their homes without consent and increase the risk of ordinary citizens being accused of crimes without just cause.

The federal government asserts the Patriot Act has safeguards to protect the rights of American citizens. Still, some parts of the law were found illegal by the courts. For instance, in 2015 the United States of Appeals for the Second Circuit found Section 215 of the Patriot Act could not be used to validate the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records.

Positive Impact of the Law

1) Enhanced sense of safety and security

2) Better monitoring of criminal activity and better intelligence reporting

3) Reduction of beaurocracy in police and security matters

Negative Impact of the Law

1) Uncontrolled and abusive use of power by security forces

2) Privacy issues over internet data.

3) Frequent and overuse of wiretaps, home invasion and warrants over innocent citizens

USA Freedom Act

To help prevent the Patriot Act from infringing on Americans’ civil liberties, President Barack Obama signed the USA Freedom Act into law on June 2, 2015.

The act ended the bulk collection of all records under Section 215 of the Patriot Act and allowed challenges to national security letter gag orders. It also required better transparency and more information sharing between the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the American people.

Some ways the USA Freedom Act is meant to strengthen national security are:

allows the government to track suspected foreign terrorists for 72 hours after they enter the United States.

increases required maximum penalties for anyone providing support to specific foreign terrorist organizations.

allows limited use of bulk data collection under Section 215 in an emergency.

Despite the act’s efforts to protect civil liberties, its critics believe it does not go far enough. The benefits of the Patriot Act and the USA Freedom Act to national security will undoubtedly continue to be weighed against the potential intrusion on Americans’ privacy and their civil rights.

What parts of the U.S. PATRIOT Act do you believe have the greatest impact on the civil liberties of Americans? How would you change the U.S. PATRIOT Act to limit the negative impact on American civil liberties?

Public Answer

What parts of the U.S. PATRIOT Act do you believe have the greatest impact on the civil liberties of Americans?

How would you change the U.S. PATRIOT Act to limit the negative impact on American civil liberties?