The USA PATRIOT Act became law only a month after September 11, 2001 -- with little review and amid an atmosphere of fear. The law gave the government sweeping surveillance powers without including accountability and oversight. Certain provisions are set to expire this year and Congress has begun the process of reauthorizing and possibly expanding the PATRIOT Act. Civil liberties groups have challenged a number of PATRIOT Act provisions as unconstitutional. These groups argue that Congress should never have given the government the ability to:

Search your home without informing you Secretly access your records -- educational, medical, library, sales, financial, etc. -- without probable cause Monitor your emails and what Internet sites you visit Wiretap you without your name being on the warrant Take away your property without a hearing Share your information with the CIA so they can spy on you Indefinitely incarcerate non-citizens

Urge Congress to Fix Flaws in the PATRIOT Act, ACLU

In 2003, the Justice Department called for expansions to the PATRIOT Act's powers, dubbed PATRIOT Act II. Some legislators would like to see expanded powers from PATRIOT Act II included in the reauthorization bill. Civil liberties groups are calling for Congress to curtail powers the government already has by reversing some of the original PATRIOT Act provisions. While it is important that the government have the ability to conduct investigations into terrorism and other criminal activities, there needs to be a balance that also protects citizens' civil liberties and offers accountability and oversight. Take action to urge your legislator to support corrections to the USA PATRIOT Act.

Resources:

• USA PATRIOT Act: What are the Issues?, People For the American Way*
• House Votes to Curb PATRIOT Act, 6/16/05, The Washington Post (free reg required)
• Rethinking the PATRIOT Act: Keeping America Safe and Free, 6/3/05, Century Foundation*
• Section-by-Section Recommendations for Reforming the PATRIOT Act (PDF), Bipartisan Working Group of Former Government Officials, Center for American Progress*
• Outlining What Congress Should Do About the PATRIOT Act Sunsets, 3/28/05, American Civil Liberties Union
• Understanding the PATRIOT Act Sunsets, American Civil Liberties Union
• The PATRIOT Act's Attack on the Freedom to Read, Ralph G. Neas, 2003, People For the American Way*
• The USA PATRIOT Act: The Basics (PDF), 9/1/04, Century Foundation*
• Security and Freedom Secured Act (SAFE) Act of 2003, American Civil Liberties Union
• Get Ready for PATRIOT Act II, Matt Welch, 4/2/03, AlterNet
• PATRIOT Act II Fact Sheet, 2003, People For the American Way*
• Section-by-Section Analysis of the Justice Department Draft of PATRIOT Act II, 2/14/03, American Civil Liberties Union
• Bringing Human Rights Home: Why Universal Rights Protect America, 10/1/04, Moving Ideas*
• USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (PDF)