The Patriot Act
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Patriot Act
The Patriot act has been hailed on of the most controversial bills to have been passed by the U.S. senate. The Patriot Act was enacted in October 2001 shortly after attacks from terrorists on the United States on September 11, 2001. The act gives Federal officials and state agencies greater authority and tools to investigate and track suspected terrorists with the goal of bringing them to trial.
The attacks on the United Stated on September 11, 2001 were planned and carried out by 19 people affiliated with the al-Qaeda network. This group hijacked four commercial airlines two of which crashed into the World Trade Center Buildings and one crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth plain was downed in Pennsylvania before hitting a potential site.
The Patriot Act was instituted in response to pressure that President George Bush felt from the United States citizens about his lax security system. The act was a way that federal law enforcement agencies could be able to monitor any further terrorist activities. Pretty much the patriot act allows government officials to search your house, listen to your phone calls, and even search your computer. The Patriot Act was designed to protect the United States from further terrorist attacks by allowing more information to be recorded for investigation on people that could be possible terrorists.
What the Patriot Act is now allowing us the ability to watch for any possible terrorist acts before they commit a terrorist attack such as 9/11. Some of the surveillance techniques that are being used were prohibited without probable cause to conduct such searches or seizure, and now since 9/11 the U.S. feels that these safeguards are necessary to find terrorists and terrorist groups.
The patriot act gave the government a greater ability to infringe on our personal lives. For example, a machine listens to all phone conversations and flags the conversation when a “Hot Word” is picked up. Hot words are words used said by an individual that may be related to terrorist activity. The government then starts to listen to your conversations and look at them more so than others. This is the same surveillance technology and methods that they use to investigate organized crime and drug trafficking.
Business records are being confiscated without probable cause; people have been arrested