For a relatively old piece of legislation, the USA Patriot Act has garnered a lot of headline attention lately. Legislators from both sides of the isle in the U.S. Senate and House have introduced bills to restrict the government surveillance powers granted under the act.
But the average citizen still receives little information about the act and what it does. Many of its provisions have little or no effect on Joe and Jane Citizen. Others have the potential to infringe on civil liberties, according to Chris Ahmuty, the executive director of the Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union.
\The likelihood any individual is the subject of an inappropriate arrest or detention or action designed to disrupt freedom of speech or freedom of assembly, you know, that is pretty small,"" Ahmuty said. ""But it could be used against anybody.""
Civil liberties groups and others across the country have raised objections to key provisions in the law. According to the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology, key provisions include:
u Section 213, which permits law enforcement agencies to, with a search warrant, conduct ""sneak and peak"" searches of homes and offices without the owner's prior knowledge. The agencies must have reason to believe the owner, given notice, would interfere with the investigation by methods as destroying evidence or intimidating potential witnesses.
u Section 217, which permits internet service providers, universities and network administrators to approve government surveillance of ""computer trespassers"" without a judicial order.
u Section 215, which expands the FBI's authority to, with a court order, obtain records from any entity, including libraries and bookstores. Previously the FBI could obtain certain records like bank and credit reports if it had evidence linking the person's records to a terrorist group.
U.S. Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft claims the act gives law enforcement the tools needed to combat terrorists with advanced technological capabilities.
""We have used the tools provided in the Patriot Act to fulfill our first responsibility to protect the American people,"" Ashcroft told law enforcement officials in Idaho this August.
While most Americans do not know a lot about the Patriot Act, many also have misconceptions about the Patriot Act II, which would reportedly give the government even more substantial powers than the Patriot Act. A draft copy was leaked to the media last winter, but the Justice Department never publicly connected itself with the legislation and it was never introduced.
Confusion surrounds other legislative efforts as well. For example, the media have linked Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, with a narco-terrorism bill known as the ""Victory Act."" Some reports have referred to this act as a Patriot Act II, but again, no legislation has actually been introduced, according to Judiciary Committee spokesperson Margarita Tapia.
""Although we haven't introduced legislation, we are examining legislative options,"" Tapia told The Daily Cardinal.
-This is the first installment of a three part series on the Patriot Act.
