USA PATRIOT Act

The USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act) of 2001 is an act of federal legislation in the United States. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001.

The PATRIOT Act governs the authority of the federal government to fight espionage and terrorism and is divided along two areas: domestic law enforcement and foreign intelligence surveillance. The broad nature of the act has also allowed federal agencies to prosecute money laundering and computer fraud, even in situations that did not directly involve terrorism. The act has profound effects on Internet service providers (ISPs), telecommunications providers, banks, financial services companies, and immigration.

The original version of the act included a sunset ...

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