American Civil Liberties Union

There has never been a more urgent need to preserve fundamental privacy protections and our system of checks and balances than the need we face today, as illegal government spying and government-sponsored torture programs transcend the bounds of law in the name of national security. Learn more about ACLU's National Security Project (NSP), which advocates for national security policies that are consistent with the Constitution, the rule of law, and fundamental human rights.


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USA PATRIOT Act (11/14/2003)

Reform the Patriot Act, rtpa.orgJust 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access to your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.

Some of these flawed provisions are set to expire at the end of the year. But President Bush wants to make them permanent, and the House and Senate have been holding hearings in preparation for votes that are expected in June and July.

Learn more about the flawed provisions in this legislation using the resources below. Find out how you can get involved, and help urge Congress to bring the Patriot Act in line with the Constitution.

SUMMARIES AND ANALYSIS
> Summary of the USA PATRIOT Act and Other Government Acts
> Text of the USA PATRIOT Act
> ACLU Fact Sheet on Surveillance under the USA PATRIOT Act
> ACLU Fact Sheet on Section 215: How the Patriot Act Threatens Your Personal Records
> ACLU Fact Sheet on "PATRIOT II"
> How "PATRIOT Act II," The Domestic Security Enhancement Act, Would Further Erode the Basic Checks on Government Power
> Section-by-Section Analysis of "PATRIOT II"
> Additional Analyses of How PATRIOT Powers Threaten Liberty and Privacy

AUDIO ARCHIVE
Executive Director Anthony Romero debunks PATRIOT Act untruths and misconceptions 

FEATURES
> ACLU Challenge to "National Security Letter" Authority
> ACLU Files First-Ever Challenge to USA PATRIOT Act, > Citing Radical Expansion of FBI Powers
> FISA - The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
> ACLU sues for records about PATRIOT Act surveillance

CONSERVATIVE VOICES
> Conservative Voices Against the USA PATRIOT Act
> Conservative Voices Against PATRIOT Act II
> Conservative Voices Defending Freedom Post September 11

TAKE ACTION TO KEEP AMERICAN SAFE AND FREE
> Stop "PATRIOT II" Support Oversight of the Secret FISA Court Community Resolutions
> ACLU Action Checklist: meaningful ways of raising public > awareness and shifting policy

PRESS RELEASES
> USA PATRIOT Act
> Domestic Security Enhancement Act ("PATRIOT II")
> ACLU's Freedom of Information Act Request
> Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

PUBLICATIONS
> Freedom Under Fire: Dissent in Post-9/11 America

> Unpatriotic Acts: The FBI's Power to Rifle Through Your Records and Personal Belongings Without Telling You
> Seeking Truth From Justice: PATRIOT Propaganda - The > Justice Department's Campaign to Mislead the Public About the USA PATRIOT Act
> Overview of Post-9/11 Court Cases
> Insatiable Appetite: The Government's Demand for New and Unnecessary Powers After September 11
> Civil Liberties After 9/11: The ACLU Defends Freedom
> Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society
More Safe and Free Reports >>

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