The ACLU has made a useful post talking about the Department of Justice’s released statistics about their surveillance activities. Surveillance is up. Section 215 is sunsetting. Osama is dead. What now?
The government more than quadrupled its use of secret court subpoenas, known as 215 orders, which give the government access to “any tangible thing,” including a wide range of sensitive information such as financial records, medical records, and even library records. In 2010, the FBI made 96 applications, up from just 21 in 2009.
I don’t know why we should feel bound using Congress’s tortured acronym. Why not USAPAT RIOT Act? or USAPA TRIOT Act? To my mind the word “patriot” should not ever be confused with that misguided paranoid piece of legislation.
The one thing I really remember about it is that my senator at the time, Russ Feingold, was the ONLY one to vote against it. I was so proud of him. He stood up for his beliefs and proved himself to be an honorable, intelligent person.
Excellent point Liam. I always make sure I spell the whole thing out but I know that the ACLU likes to refer to it as “USAPA” to avoid any confusion with actual patriotism.
May it die a horrible and quick death.