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After the terrorist acts on September 11, Congress passed the "Patriot Act" to give police enforcement greater powers to detect and track potential terrorists.

FBI admits to wiretapping wrong numbers

The FBI says it sometimes gets the wrong number when it intercepts conversations in terrorism investigations, an admission critics say underscores a need to revise wiretap provisions in the Patriot Act.

Source: MSNBC, September 30, 2005

Federal Judge Says Patriot Act Too Vague

A federal judge has ruled that some provisions of the U.S. Patriot Act dealing with foreign terrorist organizations remain too vague to be understood by a person of average intelligence and are therefore unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins found that Congress failed to remedy all the problems she defined in a 2004 ruling that struck down key provisions of the act. Her decision was handed down Thursday and released Friday.

Source: Washington Post (online), July 29, 2005

House Votes to Extend Patriot Act

The House voted Thursday to extend the USA Patriot Act, the nation's main anti-terrorism tool, just hours after televisions in the Capitol beamed images of a new attack in London.

Source: MyWay, July 21, 2005

Librarian stands up to FBI

A librarian in Washington state stood up to the FBI after it demanded internal patron information – and she won.

Source: WorldNetDaily, May 26, 2005

FBI asks US congress for power to seize documents

The FBI today asked the United States Congress for sweeping new powers to seize business or private records, ranging from medical information to book purchases, to investigate terrorism without first securing approval from a judge.

Source: stuff.co.nz, May 25, 2005

Records-search plan alarms civil-liberties groups

 U.S. civil-liberties groups said on Monday they were alarmed at new provisions to be considered in Congress this week to strengthen the government's ability to seize private records without judicial review.

Reuters, May 23, 2005

Patriot Act stirs prosecutors, local governments

U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor has given this speech all over the state. This time he's speaking to attorneys at a yacht club in this bastion of privilege [Greenwich, Conn.], trying to dispel widespread fears about the anti-terrorism Patriot Act....

Critics cite civil liberties concerns, while proponents deny the law has led to abuses.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifies on reauthorization of the Patriot Act

The Bush administration's two top law enforcement officials on Tuesday urged Congress to renew every provision of the anti-terror Patriot Act. FBI Director Robert Mueller also asked lawmakers to expand the bureau's ability to obtain records without first asking a judge.

Source: MyWay, April 5, 2005

Patriot Act II: Pro-safety, or anti-freedom?

Patriot Act II – is it a prudent step to stem terrorist activity in the U.S. and protect the homeland, or a Draconian measure designed to strip the last vestiges of freedom from the American landscape?

Source: WorldNetDaily, December 5, 2004

Judge Rules Against Patriot Act Provision

Part of the Patriot Act, a central plank of the Bush Administration's war on terror, was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge on Wednesday.

Source: My Way (online), September 29, 2004

Cities Say No to the Patriot Act

In the past two years, more than 300 cities and four states have passed resolutions calling on Congress to repeal or change parts of the USA Patriot Act that, activists say, violate constitutional rights such as free speech and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.

Source: Wired News, June 7, 2004

Federal judge rules part of Patriot Act unconstitutional

A federal judge has declared unconstitutional a portion of the USA Patriot Act that bars giving expert advice or assistance to groups designated international terrorist organizations.

The ruling marks the first court decision to declare a part of the post-September 11, 2001 anti-terrorism statute unconstitutional, said David Cole, a Georgetown University law professor who argued the case on behalf of the Humanitarian Law Project.

Source: CNN, January 26, 2004

New surveillance guidelines fuel debate in California

Federal authorities may now have broad powers under the USA Patriot Act to monitor the public in its fight against terrorism, but guidelines distributed last month by the California attorney general's office contradict the surveillance methods used by federal agencies -- and advise local police to observe stricter state limits when it comes to spying on the public.

Source: boston.com News, November 30, 2003

City opposes Patriot Act

With the Sacramento City Council chambers packed to capacity by opponents of the USA Patriot Act, council members voted 8-1 Thursday to approve a resolution against the controversial anti-terrorism law.

Source: sacbee The Sacramento Bee (online), November 14, 2003

Report touts law as tool against terror

The Justice Department on Tuesday gave Congress nearly three dozen examples of how the Patriot Act has been used to prosecute terrorists and other criminals, part of an administration effort to counter criticism that the law does more to harm civil liberties than to protect the nation.

Attorney General John Ashcroft presented a 29-page report outlining the examples to members of the House Judiciary Committee. He later told reporters that the report provided "a mountain of evidence" of the law's benefits.

Source: Indianapolis Star (online), July 14, 2003

FBI Proposes Increased Wiretapping Privileges

In a move that may signal the Bush Administration's intention to seek additional legislation that some have dubbed "Patriot Act II", the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently submitted an 85-page filing to the Federal Communications Commission requesting that all broadband Internet providers rewire their networks, making it easier for police to perform wiretaps. The proposal, which has the backing of the Bush Administration, would require companies to build back doors into programs ranging from instant messaging and voice over Internet Protocol to live video game service such as Microsoft's Xbox.

Source: The Sentinel (online), ~April 2, 2004

Senators join forces to roll back parts of Patriot Act

A bipartisan group of lawmakers and advocacy groups have formed a "Coalition of Conscience" to roll back sections of the Patriot Act they say encroach on civil liberties.

Source: Washington Times, October 16, 2003

The USA PATRIOT Act

The clumsily-titled Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act, or USAPA) introduced a plethora of legislative changes which significantly increased the surveillance and investigative powers of law enforcement agencies in the United States. The Act did not, however, provide for the system of checks and balances that traditionally safeguards civil liberties in the face of such legislation.

Source: Electronic Privacy Information Center

House Lawmakers Limit Scope of Patriot Act Powers

The strongest attack yet on the Patriot Act is coming from the American Civil Liberties Union (search), but 309 House members have now joined the ACLU in opposing part of the terror-fighting powers granted to law enforcement by Congress shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Source: Fox News (online), July 30, 2003

Justice Department Opposes 'Sneak and Peek' Ban

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday opposed a bid to ban the government from conducting secret "sneak and peek" searches of private property.

Source: Reuters (online), July 25, 2003

Analysis of the USA Patriot Act

Just eight days after the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, the Bush Administration made a legislative proposal that later became the USA Patriot Act. The proposal did not represent a careful examination of the failures and deficiencies of the law enforcement and intelligence agencies that led to the attacks. Rather, it was a collection of old policies that were taken off the shelf and dressed up as the new powers they needed to combat terrorism. [also, see links at end of text]

Source: Center for National Studies

Text of the USA Patriot Act

(Also available in PDF)

 

HR 3162 RDS

107th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3162

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 

October 24, 2001

 

Received

 

---

AN ACT

To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

Source: Electronic Privacy Information Center

EFF Analysis Of The Provisions Of The USA PATRIOT Act

Introduction

On October 26, 2001, President Bush signed the USA Patriot Act (USAPA) into law. With this law we have given sweeping new powers to both domestic law enforcement and international intelligence agencies and have eliminated the checks and balances that previously gave courts the opportunity to ensure that these powers were not abused. Most of these checks and balances were put into place after previous misuse of surveillance powers by these agencies, including the revelation in 1974 that the FBI and foreign intelligence agencies had spied on over 10,000 U.S. citizens, including Martin Luther King.

Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation, October 31, 2002

Calif. Town To 'Defy' Patriot Act

Starting this month, a new city ordinance would impose a fine of $57 on any city department head who voluntarily complies with investigations or arrests under the aegis of the Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism bill passed after Sept. 11.

Source: CBSNews.com, May 17, 2003

Ashcroft defends terror law; seeks expanded powers

Attorney General John Ashcroft asked Congress Thursday for expanded powers to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely before trials and to let him seek the death penalty or life imprisonment for any terrorist act.

Ashcroft told the House Judiciary Committee that the 2001 Patriot Act signed into law after the September 11, 2001 attacks should also be expanded to let prosecutors bring charges against anyone who supports or works with suspected terrorist groups as "material supporters."

Source: CNN, June 5, 2003

Ashcroft Takes Questions on Patriot Act

The Justice Department's new anti-terrorism powers have made it possible to track, detain and in some cases, obtain sealed agreements from terror suspects that have resulted in the prevention of more terrorist attacks in the United States, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday.

The USA Patriot Act has made it possible to increase surveillance powers, uncover the status of Al Qaeda in the United States and learn other valuable information about terror tactics and operations here and abroad, Ashcroft told the House Judiciary Committee.

Source: Fox News, June 5, 2003

Ashcroft Wants Broader Anti-Terror Powers

Attorney General John Ashcroft asked Congress Thursday for expanded powers to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely before trials and to let him seek the death penalty or life imprisonment for any terrorist act.

Ashcroft told the House Judiciary Committee that the 2001 Patriot Act signed into law after the Sept. 11 attacks should also be expanded to let prosecutors bring charges against anyone who supports or works with suspected terrorist groups as "material supporters."

Source: Excite News, June 5, 2003

A NATION AT WAR: LIBERTY AND SECURITY

Congressional Republicans are maneuvering to make permanent sweeping antiterrorism powers granted to federal law enforcement agents after attacks of Sept 11, 2001, in so-called Patriot Act; move is likely to touch off strong objections from many Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress who believe law has already given government too much power to spy on Americans; provisions are set to expire at end of 2005 unless Congress re-authorizes them (M) Working with the Bush administration, Congressional Republicans are maneuvering to make permanent the sweeping antiterrorism powers granted to federal law enforcement agents after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, officials said today.

Source: New York Times archive (online), April 9, 2003

Key Republican Not Sure on Patriot Act

The Bush administration's plans to expand a post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism law face resistance from a powerful House Republican who says he's not even sure he wants the government to keep its new powers.

James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, complains that the Justice Department isn't sharing enough information for lawmakers to make a judgment on how well or poorly the USA Patriot Act is working....

"Enacting policies that allow the government to enter our homes in secret and to collect highly personal information won't make us safer, but it will make us less free," said Anthony Romero, the ACLU's executive director.

Source: Newsday (online), April 16, 2003

Libraries post Patriot Act warnings

Along with the usual reminders to hold the noise down and pay overdue fines, library patrons in Santa Cruz are seeing a new type of sign these days: a warning that records of the books they borrow may wind up in the hands of federal agents.

The signs, posted in the 10 county branches last week and on the library's Web site, also inform the reader that the USA Patriot Act "prohibits library workers from informing you if federal agents have obtained records about you."

SFGate (online), March 10, 2003

Bookseller Purges Files to Avoid Potential 'Patriot Act' Searches

Some booksellers are troubled by a post-Sept. 11 federal law that gives the government broad powers to seize the records of bookstores and libraries to find out what people have been reading.

Source: Fox News (online), February 20, 2003

Cities Say No to Federal Snooping

Fearing that the Patriot Act will curtail Americans' civil rights, municipalities across the country are passing resolutions to repudiate the legislation and protect their residents from a perceived abuse of authority by the federal government.

Source: Wired News, Dec. 19, 2002

New Tools for Domestic Spying, and Qualms

From New York City to Seattle, police officials are looking to do away with rules that block them from spying on people and groups without evidence that a crime has been committed. They say these rules, forced on them in the 1970's and 80's to halt abuses, now prevent them from infiltrating mosques and other settings where terrorists might plot....

Source: New York Times (online), December 10, 2002

A Wiretap In Every Home

If it is true that all trends start in California, then the rest of the country had better pay attention. Gray Davis has proposed that his state's police agencies be given the same authority to fight terrorism that Congress recently gave the feds. If this keeps up, there won't be an untapped phone in the nation.

It's not that what Davis proposes is so awful. What he has in mind is a state version of the insultingly named USA Patriot Act, which among other things expanded wiretap authority at the federal level. It also permits the government to monitor e-mail and Internet sites. Uncle Sam is going to know if you've been bad or good -- so be good for goodness' sake.

Source: Washington Post Online, January 10, 2002

Ashcroft Undaunted As Criticism Grows

Eleven weeks after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, an expanding coalition of lawmakers and civil liberties groups is complaining that Attorney General John D. Ashcroft's campaign against terrorism has gone too far. Senators have summoned him for grillings, and lawyers are demanding information about hundreds of immigrants ensnared in a nationwide dragnet.

Source: Washington Post (online), November 29, 2001

Text of the Patriot's Act

HR 3162 RDS 107th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3162 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES October 24, 2001

Source: Electronic Privacy Information Center

Patriot Act' or privacy slap?

The latest round of "anti-terrorism" legislation wasn't the first time the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI misled Congress to obtain new tools to perform surveillance on ordinary Americans, says economist Charlotte Twight, a contributing editor of the "Independent Review" and professor at Boise State University.

Source: WorldNetDaily, December 2, 2001

Anti-terrorism bills should be rejected for 'recycled police state-style snooping'

The anti-terrorism bills just passed by the House and Senate will allow the government to secretly search your home, spy on bank accounts around the world, and monitor your e-mail -- provisions that Congress has rejected before and that Americans overwhelmingly oppose, the Libertarian Party said today.

Source:  Libertarian Party October 16, 2001

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