Great Seal of the United States:
The USA Patriot Act
|
USA Patriot Act Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the USA
Patriot Act.
What is the USA Patriot Act? The USA
Patriot Act is an antiterrorism law allowing
federal officials greater authority in
tracking and intercepting communications
What does the USA Patriot Act stand for?
The USA Patriot Act is an acronym that
stands for "Uniting and Strengthening
America by Providing Appropriate
Tools Required to Intercept
and Obstruct Terrorism Act"
What was the main goal of the USA Patriot
Act?
The main goal of the USA Patriot Act is to
deter domestic and international terrorists.
When was the USA Patriot Act passed?
The USA Patriot Act was passed on October
26, 2001 as the U.S. government's main
legislative response to the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001.
USA
Patriot Act
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on USA
Patriot Act
for kids.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts for kids
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 1: The
9/11 terrorist attacks,
on September 22, 2001, shocked the world as the Pentagon
was attacked and the Twin Towers at the World Trade
Center were reduced to rubble. The 2001 Terrorist
Attacks resulted in the deaths of over 3000 people and
were masterminded by the terrorist group
Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin
Laden.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
2: Just seven days
later bioterrorism rocked America with lethal
Anthrax attacks
when
anonymous letters, laced with lethal anthrax spores,
were mailed through the US Postal system.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 3: As complex and comprehensive
plans were developed to create the
Department of Homeland Security,
the U.S. federal government made its main legislative response to
the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 by passing the USA
Patriot Act as part of the
War on Terror.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 4: The title of the 2001 USA
Patriot Act is an acronym that stands for "Uniting and Strengthening
America by Providing Appropriate Tools
Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism
Act".
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 5: The main purpose of the USA
Patriot Act was to strengthen national security by providing federal
officials additional powers in tracking and intercepting
communications, for the purposes of law enforcement and foreign
intelligence gathering.
USA Patriot
Act Facts - 6: The Patriot Act
was enacted to amend or eliminate outdated laws that
hindered surveillance and intelligence-gathering
activities by various government agencies.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 7: The new Patriot law
gave new powers to the U.S. Department of Justice, the
National Security Agency and other federal agencies on
domestic and international surveillance of electronic
communications.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 8: The USA Patriot
law was designed deter and punish terrorist acts in the
United States and around the world and to enhance law
enforcement investigatory tools. The law also made
provisions to prevent, detect and prosecute
international money laundering and the financing of
terrorism.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 9: The magnitude of
the USA Patriot Act is reflected in its hundreds of
sections, under main title headings, that constitute the
law:
● Title I:
Enhancing domestic security against terrorism
● Title II:
Enhanced Surveillance Procedures
● Title III:
Anti-money-laundering to prevent terrorism
● Title IV:
Border security
● Title V:
Removing obstacles to investigating terrorism
● Title VI:
Victims and families of victims of terrorism
● Title VII:
Increased information sharing for critical
infrastructure protection
● Title VIII:
Terrorism criminal law
● Title IX:
Improved intelligence
● Title X:
Miscellaneous
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 10: The USA Patriot
Act was passed nearly unanimously by the Senate 98-1,
and 357-66 in the House, with the support of members
from across the political spectrum.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
11: Summary of Title I
- Enhancing domestic security against terrorism: This
section of the Patriot Act establishes a
Counterterrorism Fund increasing funding for the
Terrorist Screening Center which is administered by the
FBI. It also declared that the rights of Arab and Muslim
Americans must be preserved.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
12: Summary of Title
II - Enhanced Surveillance Procedures: Grants authority
for to share criminal investigative information,
wiretapping and to track electronic communications such
as e-mails and stored voice mails when a matter of
foreign intelligence or counterintelligence is involved.
Allows pen registers and trap and trace devices by
government agencies to gather foreign intelligence
information. Section 213, the "sneak and peek" section,
allows for the notification of search warrants to be
delayed.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 13: Summary of Title III:
Anti-money-laundering to prevent terrorism: This section of the
Patriot Act facilitates the prevention, detection and prosecution of
international money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 14: Summary of Title IV: Border security: Aims to
prevent terrorism in the USA through immigration regulations.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 15: Summary of Title
V: Removing obstacles to investigating terrorism:
Addresses the capture and prosecution of terrorists
including the use of DNA identification and the
disclosure of educational records and information from
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 16: Summary of Title
VI: Victims and families of victims of terrorism: This
section of the Patriot Act amends the Victims of Crime
Act of 1984. Following the events of the
September 11, 2001
terror attacks, it provides aid to the families of
Public Safety Officers, such as firefighters, law
enforcement officers, ambulance crew who are injured or
killed in terrorist attacks
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 17: Summary of Title
VII: Increased information sharing for critical
infrastructure protection: Amends the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to increase the
ability of U.S. law enforcement to counter terrorist
activity that crosses jurisdictional boundaries
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 18: Summary of Title
VIII: Terrorism criminal law: This section of the
Patriot Act establishes or re-defines rules and
penalties for terrorism offenses to prevent the
harboring of or concealment of terrorists. The section
covers Cyberterrorism and cybersecurity and attacks on
mass transportation systems. It also provides
definitions of Biological weapons, domestic terrorism
and terrorist support.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts - 19: Summary of Title
IX: Improved intelligence: Ensures that information
obtained from electronic surveillance or physical
searches is shared for efficient and effective foreign
intelligence purposes.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
20: Summary of Title
X: Miscellaneous: This section of the Patriot Act covers
instances that do not fall under the above, specific
titles of the USA Patriot Act. It authorizes the
Attorney General to make grants to state and local
governments “to improve the ability of state and local
law enforcement, fire departments, and first responders
to respond and prevent acts of terrorism.” It bans the
admission of suspected money launders into the United
States. The National Infrastructure Simulation and
Analysis Center (NISAC) was established for critical
infrastructure protection and continuity.
Continued...
USA Patriot
Act
Facts for kids
Facts
about the USA Patriot Act for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about USA Patriot Act for kids.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts for kids
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
21: Several of the
surveillance portions of the Patriot Act were "sunset"
provisions, designed to expire if not periodically
reauthorized by Congress. The "sunset" provisions were
reauthorized on several occasions, in 2005, 2006, 2010
and 2011.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
22: On May 26, 2011,
President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets
Extension Act of 2011, which extended "sunset"
provisions until June 1, 2015.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
23: The Patriot Act is
controversial because its encompasses issues of privacy
and government surveillance and its effects on civil
liberties.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
24: Since the adoption of the Patriot
Act, debate has raged over how expanded surveillance and
intelligence-gathering powers conflict with civil
liberties. Critics argue that it gives the government
too much power and undermines democracy.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
25: The USA Patriot
Act is described by many critics as “unconstitutional”
and go against the rights guaranteed in the first and
fourth amendment.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
26: The First
Amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or
of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances". Critics argue that the USA Patriot Act
could be used for religious profiling and that religious
freedoms might be impaired for security reasons.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
27: The Fourth
Amendment states: "The right of the people to be secure
in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and
particularly describing the place to be searched, and
the persons or things to be seized. Critics argue that
their privacy is being invaded because the USA Patriot
Act allows phones to be tapped and private records to be
accessed and searches without warrants.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
28: The Boston
Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013 proved that the
provisions included in the Patriot Act are not
foolproof and raised concerns law enforcement searches
without warrants.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
29: In June 2013
Edward Joseph "Ed" Snowden, an American computer systems
administrator and former Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) employee leaked top secret information from the
National Security Agency (NSA) to the mainstream media.
The Snowden disclosures fueled debates over the Patriot
Act, government secrecy, mass surveillance and the
balance between national security and information
privacy.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts -
30: On June 2, 2015
the USA Freedom Act (Uniting and Strengthening America
by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping,
Dragnet-collection and Online Monitoring Act) was signed
into law by President Barack Obama, as an alternative to
extending the sunset provisions within the USA Patriot
Act itself.
USA Patriot
Act
Facts for kids
USA Patriot Act - President George W Bush Video
The article on the
USA Patriot Act provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
George W Bush video will
give you additional important facts and dates about his presidency.
USA Patriot Act for kids
●
Interesting Facts about USA Patriot Act for kids and schools
●
Summary of the USA Patriot Act in US history
●
USA Patriot Act of important, key
events
●
George W Bush from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009
●
Fast, fun facts about the USA Patriot Act
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President George W Bush
●
USA Patriot Act for schools,
homework, kids and children |