The Patriot Act

Abstract

Introduction The PATRIOT Act violates the personal privacy of all American citizens. It has deprived the citizens of this country of some of the basic rights that were promised to them in the Constitution. The rights that the PATRIOT Act puts into jeopardy are innate and it is the government’s responsibility to protect our innate rights. The legislation surrounding this Act has also reduced judicial checks and balances that were put into place by this country’s founding fathers. The PATRIOT Act was passed in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Specifically, the official name of the Act is: “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act”. 1 It disregards many federal communication privacy laws and gives the government an unprecedented amount of surveillance power. The Act gives federal officials greater authority to track and intercept communications, both for law enforcement and foreign intelligence gathering purposes. 2