The Patriot Act: The Right To Privacy

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Expanding the authority of the NSA for search and seizures is constitutional because the Patriot Act (revised as “The Freedom Act” in 2015) essentially is the warrant that makes the search and seizure legal and constitutional, when used for national security reasons.

•The Patriot Act has been debated over many years, is now the law of our land, and was recently renewed as the Freedom Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama on June 2, 2015.

•The Patriot Act was designed for the security of American citizens. It was created in reaction to the 9/11 attack on US citizens, to address modern technologies and new threats. Terrorism is a new kind of warfare, and we must counter this terror warfare with modern technology that uses …show more content…
Both former President Bush and Current President Obama support this law. Bush said, “This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. ” Obama said, “We should not surrender the tools that help keep us safe. ”

•Even recent Pew Research and NPR polls show that public opinion for security and safety of citizens is very important especially during war times. After something occurs that hurts the safety of Americans, we realize that some privacy can be sacrificed for security; for example, a survey conducted by NPR news shortly after 9/11 got the following positive response from the US public on what was acceptable with regards to search and gathering of information:
Wiretap telephones (69%)
Intercept mail (57%)
Intercept e-mail(72%)
Examine people internet activity(82%)
Detain suspects for a week without charging them (58%)
Examine students' education records (76%)
Examine telephone records (82%)
Examine bank records (79%)
Track credit card purchases (75%)
Examine tax records (75%)"

The new Pew Research study in May 2015 states that “49% of the public say their bigger concern is security, and only 37% are concerned about their civil liberties with the patriot …show more content…
John Locke (1632-1704) a famous philosopher from England considered as the Father of Liberalism had said “Liberty is to be free from restraint and violence from others. ” We must know that protecting ourselves from violence from others, terrorists in this debate, is not anti-liberty. President George W. Bush said in 2005, “This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power under our laws and Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties.”

The 4th Amendment must be interpreted based on the terrorist threats that currently endanger the safety of American citizens, and with proper usage, the Patriot Act does not violate the 4th Amendment.

•In a landmark US Supreme Court case in 1979, “Smith v. Maryland”, Justices Burger, Rehnquist, and Stevens held the majority opinion that for some searches, when there are adequate reasons, no warrant was required, and that such a search was legal under the Fourth Amendment. In this US Supreme Court case, there were some suspicion that the petitioner, Smith, was committing a crime, and the police decided to wiretap his home telephone and found that he was a
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