The Pros And Cons Of The Patriot Act

The USA Patriot Act grants government agencies powers in terrorism investigations that it already uses in non-terrorist crimes. Several law abiding citizens have been approached, questioned, and interrogated without probable cause of any criminal activity, basically for engaging in political speech protected by the constitution (Bailie, 2012). The Act freely eliminates privacy rights for individual Americans, it creates more secrecy for government activities, which make it extremely difficult to know about actions the Government are taking.

Today, electronic surveillance remains one of the most effective tools the United States has to protect against foreign powers and groups seeking to inflict harm on the nation, but it does not go without a few possessing a few negative aspects either. Electronic surveillance of foreign intelligence has likely saved the lives of many innocent people through prevention of potential acts of aggression towards the United States. There are many pros to the actions authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) pertaining to electronic surveillance, but there are also cons. Looking at both the pros and cons of electronic surveillance is important in understanding the overall effectiveness of FISA. [1]

In this essay I will discuss the pros and the cons of the Patriot Act, how it affected the lives of US citizens and the world, and whether or not it fits within our democratic form of government. The Patriot Act was a rapidly drafted and approved Act of Congress which was intended to increase the security of US citizens by combatting terrorism. Although granting increased security to an extent, the Act was and still is extremely controversial due to certain parts of the Act limiting the freedoms of American citizens. The Patriot Act enhanced the government’s ability to spy on their own people, and with far fewer restrictions, so many people were and still are disgusted, but many others completely agree with it. Millions of people, billions across the world have a historical trend of being happy to sacrifice their freedoms for increased security. The controversy lies with how more safe are you in comparison to how much of your freedom you have to give up, and that compromise is weighed vastly different for individuals across the world. Did the Patriot Act save enough lives to warrant what it cost, or did it inhibit the lives of too many people to be allowed to continue. The answer will always be disputed and weighing each side will be a very difficult task.

The PATRIOT ACT is an act of congress that was introduced on October 26, 2001. The USA Patriot Act was passed by Congress as a response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On October 23, 2001, Republican Rep introduced H.R. 3162 incorporating provisions from a previously sponsored House bill and a Senate bill also introduced earlier in the month. The bill, which removed most of the changes from the Senate version, passed Congress on March 2, 2006, and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on March 9 and 10, 2006. On May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, a four-year extension of three key provisions in the Act roving wiretaps, searches of business records, and conducting surveillance of "lone wolves"—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist groups. Opponents of the law have criticized its authorization of indefinite detentions of immigrants; the permission given law enforcement officers to search a home or business without the owner's or the occupant's consent or knowledge; the expanded use of national security letters, which FBI to search telephone, e-mail, and financial records without a court order; and the expanded access of law enforcement agencies to business records, including library and financial records. The Act allows federal officials greater authority in tracking and intercepting communications, both for purposes of law enforcement and foreign intelligence gathering. It gives the Secretary of the Treasury regulatory powers to combat corruption of US financial institutions for foreign money laundering purposes; it more actively works to close our borders to foreign terrorists and to detain and remove those within our borders; it establishes new crimes, new penalties and new procedural techniques for use against domestic and international terrorists. Since its passage, several legal challenges have been brought against the act, and federal courts have ruled that a number of provisions are unconstitutional. The purpose of the USA PATRIOT Act is to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and other purposes, some

Several acts severely infringe the civil liberties of Americans; for example, Title II of the act provides for enhanced surveillance procedures. Authority to intercept wire, oral, and electronic communications became expanded if these communications might be related to terrorism or computer fraud. There are 25 separate sections providing significant new authority for the government to monitor mail, e-mail, voice mail, and telephone and computer communications. Search warrants will be easier to obtain, and they will be broader in scope. Warrants will be valid for longer periods. The FBI can ask for a warrant requiring any tangible items which can include books, papers, records, documents, etc…(the warrant may be non-specific in nature). This is a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment rights of search and seizure.

The Patriot Act violates the civil liberties guaranteed to Americans by undermining the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment gives the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures. The Patriot Act breaches this amendment in multiple ways including “sneak-and-peek” warrants, wiretaps, and bulk data collection. “Sneak-and-peek warrants”, also called delayed-notification warrants, it allows law enforcement to conduct a covert search without informing the suspect of the search until a later time. This infringes the Fourth Amendment, because law enforcement must notify the person that is being searched after the search has taken place. This is unfair to the suspect being searched and goes against the right to secure houses, persons, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches, as stated in the Fourth Amendment. The second way the Patriot Act is in violation the Fourth Amendment and civil

The Patriot Act was signed into law on October 26, 2001 by President George W. Bush. The act expanded the surveillance capability of both domestic law enforcement and international intelligence agencies. When this law was passed it was under the assumption “to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes” (The USA Patriot). The Patriot Act has given the government the power to spy on the average American through monitoring phone records and calls, gaining banking and credit information, and even track a person’s internet activity. This is an unbelievable amount of power intelligence agencies wield all under the umbrella of national security. This power has gone too far, is unjustified, unconstitutional, and infringes on the privacy of the

Since the September 11 attacks terrorism attacks the world has been in a constant war with terrorism. Right after these attacks, the Congress rushed to pass rules to strengthen security in the United States while also limiting our freedoms as a US citizen. On October 23, 2001, the Patriot Act was proposed. This act allows law enforcement officials to obtain a search warrant anywhere a terrorist-related activity occurred, it Prohibits the harboring of terrorists, and it punishes terrorist acts in the United States and around the world. On October 25, 2001, the Act was passed by the Senate by 98 to 1. The one vote that was in opposition to the act was Senator Russell Feingold. He and other opponents of the law have criticized its detentions of immigrants, and how the law allows enforcement officers to search a home or business without the owner's consent or knowledge. Although he was outnumbered 98 to 1 he still made an extensive impact on the outcome of the Patriot

The USA Patriot Act is actually an abbreviation for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism”. The USA PATRIOT Act is a series of amendments to existing statues, with several news ones, which were introduced with the intention of preventing future terrorist attacks against the U.S. The Public Law number for the PATRIOT Act is 107-56, as 115 Stat. 272-402. In October 2, 2001 the House of Representatives introduced the name PATRIOT (Provide Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism ) Act to H.R. 2975. The Senate attached the name USA (Uniting and Strengthening America) to S.1510 in October 4, 2001. H.R. 3162 was the final combined bill name “USA PATRIOT

The USA PATRIOT Act was a piece of legislation that was signed into law to address the realities of modern terrorism. The new breed of terrorism was sophisticated and used new technologies that, according to the President, “were not available at the time that the existing laws were written”, he said in his speech during the bill signing press event on October 26. 2001; a fair argument. He said “The bill before me takes account of the new realities and dangers posed by modern terrorists” and the Patriot Act was “an essential step in defeating terrorism while protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans”. But how does the Patriot Act do that? How does it protect the constitutional rights of Americans? How does it help defeat

Together with money laundering and counterfeiting foreign currency, border control has the authority to take part in these acts. The Department of State requires a final form regulation that administers the procedure for taking fingerprints, with which the Department of State is allowed to use this information. Not long after the Department of State requested this action, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) arranged the development of technology standards to verify the identity of a person applying for a United States visa. The logic was to make the standard technology basis for a cross-agency, cross-platform electronic system used for directing background checks, confirming identities and safeguarding that people have

While it is impressive that the Patriot Act passed so quickly through congress, it is not all that surprising as in the wake of 9/11 the public was demanding legislative change that would prevent future terrorist attacks. Congress may have also been further motivated to pass legislation that would attempt to help prevent terrorism in the future due to the anthrax attacks in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks, two of which targeted Democratic Senators. It is also not uncommon for Congress to pass legislation in response to a major event, as the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 was passed in response to the Oklahoma City bombings, which addressed many concerns similar to those that the public and law enforcement agencies had in the wake of 9/11. In fact many of the policy implications included in

Two months after the September eleventh attacks on the Twin Towers, President Bush signed a document called the United States Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was signed to help prevent another terrorist attack on the United States through many types of surveillance. Growing concerns have come out about the Patriot Act and how much power it gives to the federal government. But, the government does need to monitor the citizens to try and stop another September eleventh attack by collecting information on suspected terrorists and stopping money laundering.

Firstly, the Patriot Act violates the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution by allowing the government to conduct secret searches of citizens’ property—undermining the amendment’s principle of search and seizure only with a warrant. The Fourth Amendment protects us from searches and seizures without a warrant or probable cause. However, sections of the Patriot Act can be seen undermining this American prerogative. The American Civil Liberties Union explains, Section 213 of the Patriot Act justifies the allowance of secret searches. Secret searches permit the government to search the owner’s private property without having to notify them (ACLU). This section has caused for the mass surveillance of not only possible terrorists but also innocent American citizens. The government not being required to inform you after your private

After the attack on September 11, 2001, the United States implemented the Patriot Act. This new act was signed by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001, and brought about many changes to make the United States strong by making changes that would help guard against terrorism.