Patriot Act

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The USA Patriot Act is a controversial law that broadly expands the ability of the U.S. government to surveil both U. S. citizens and foreign nationals around the world. It was passed by a nervous U.S. Congress in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attack^[1] and is still in effect as of 2024. The law expands the government's power to do secret searches and wiretaps without the accountability formerly required through judicial oversight and has been shown to be used predominately to fight domestic crimes such as drug dealing and fraud^[2]. As well, the act allows the government to detain non-citizens for up to seven days without a trial and without being charged of a crime^[3].

Criticisms[edit]

The Patriot Act permits the circumvention of a number of protections intended to be enacted by the Privacy Act of 1974 and its amendments, as well as the later Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Described by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) as representing a significant threat to civil liberties, privacy, and democratic traditions^[4], the EFF says the Patriot Act gives

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims that most parts of the law are unconstitutional, saying that it gives

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