The Obama administration will support the controversial provisions of the Patriot Act that expand the governments power over the lives of citizens, despite the campaign rhetoric that Obama opposed President Bush’s position.

During confirmation hearings, Attorney General Eric Holder told members Congress he would review the provisions but said he “would likely endorse their re-authorization”.

In a Sept 14, 2009 letter Assistant Attorney General Ron Weich said “the administration is willing to consider changes that would increase privacy protections, as long as they preserve the effectiveness of the tools”. to read letter click here

While the entire Patriot Act is an infringement, the provisions that are due to expire this year are the most dangerous giving unwarranted power to the government. Obviously the White House will continue to demand such power and Congress will follow the lead.

Some of the most troubling:

Section 213, which expands the government’s ability to execute criminal search warrants (which need not involve terrorism) and seize property without telling the target for weeks or months.

Section 215, which allows the FBI to seize a vast array of sensitive personal information and belongings – including medical, library and business records – using secret intelligence tools that do not require individual criminal activity. Although the records can only be seized pursuant to a court order, judges are compelled to issue these orders, making such judicial review nothing more than a rubber stamp.

Section 505, which lowers the evidentiary standard for “national security letters,” or NSLs, which are issued at the sole discretion of the Justice Department, impose a blanket gag order on recipients and are not subject to judicial review. NSLs can be used to seize a wide variety of business and financial records, and in certain instances could be used to access the membership lists of organizations that provide even very limited Internet services. 

Section 303, all of Title III, which obligates banks and other financial institutions to furnish a great deal of customer information to the government, is now permanent. Congress could have passed a joint resolution before the beginning of fiscal year 2005 (which started in October 2004) to sunset the title, but did not do so, and instead repealed that special review provision instead. Title III also imposes strict and expensive new identity verification requirements on financial institutions.

 

Sections that expire this year, but will Washington renew them?

Sec. 201 Expands wiretap-eligible federal criminal offenses.

Sec. 202 New wiretap authority relating to computer crime.

Sec. 203(b) Allows disclosure of information gathered in criminal investigation, including wiretaps, to intelligence, immigration and “national security” officials.

Sec. 203(d) Same as subsection 203(b) above.

Sec. 206 Creates roving wiretap authority (that is, the court order follows the target, not the phone) under FISA; did not include a requirement (which is included in other roving wiretap laws) that the eavesdropper make sure the target is actually using the device being monitored.

Sec. 207 Permits FISA wiretaps to continue for as long as a year; expands duration of physical search orders.

Sec. 212 Government can demand records and content from communications providers without consent, notice or judicial review in an emergency.

Sec. 214 Permits the government to get the telephone numbers dialed to and from a particular phone as well as Internet “routing” information that may contain some substantive content of the communications, with minimal judicial review under FISA.

Sec. 215 Allows the FBI to use FISA court orders to seize any “tangible thing,” including highly sensitive medical, library, business and travel records, from a wide variety of institutions under an extremely weak standard of judicial review.

Sec. 217 Interception of “computer trespasser” communications without a judge’s assent.

Sec. 218 Allows criminal investigators to use espionage powers, which require little evidence of criminal wrongdoing, even if gathering foreign intelligence is only a “significant purpose” of the investigation, instead of the more demanding “primary purpose” that was the law before this provision passed.

Sec. 220 Establishes nationwide service of search warrants for electronic evidence, opening the door to judge-shopping. Permanent But Problematic Patriot Act Sections

Permanent Provisions that Still Pose Problems for Civil Liberties

Sec. 213 Authorizes and expands “sneak and peek” delayed-notice search warrants.

Sec. 216 Permits the seizure of Internet “routing” information (e.g., website links, addressing information) in criminal cases under a low standard of proof, without protections against the unwarranted seizure of possible content.

Sec. 219 Establishes nationwide service of search warrants for physical evidence.

Sec. 411 Expanded grounds for deportation and exclusion from the country for alleged support of terrorist groups or causes.

Sec. 412 Permits the attorney general to unilaterally detain non-citizen terrorist suspects for seven days without charges; requires judicial review at six month intervals for indefinite detention.

Sec. 505 Authorizes the government to seize financial, Internet, credit and telephone records without prior judicial review and without articulable suspicion that the target is a terrorist or spy.

Sec. 507 Expands access to student records without individual suspicion.

Sec. 508 Same as Sec. 507.

Sec. 802 Defines “domestic terrorism” to include any act that is “dangerous to human life,” involves a violation of any state or federal law and is intended to influence government policy or coerce a civilian population.

Sec. 901 Permits the head of the the intelligence community to set “requirements and priorities” for domestic spying, which could put the CIA back in the business of monitoring Americans’ lawful activities.