Pros and Cons of Patriot Act

Pros and Cons of Patriot Act

The House of Representatives passed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 on October 24, 2001. This is also known as the USA Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was designed to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world and to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools (USA Patriot Act, 2001). The events of September 11, 2001 led to the near unanimous support for the Patriot Act. In this paper, our learning team will discuss the many pros and cons of the Patriot Act of 2001.

We will begin by discussing the positive aspects of the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act amended United States Code section 2703 title 18 that dealt with electronic surveillance subpoenas thereby enhancing law enforcement's surveillance capabilities. The Patriot Act widened the scope for subpoenas for records of electronic communication. It added local and long distance telephone connection records or records of session times and durations. It also changed wording to telephone or instrument number, including network addresses. The final change to this section was making the means and source of payment for such services available.

Another positive aspect of the Patriot Act is the "Sunset Clause". This may be the most important pro of the Patriot Act. Section