The Patriot Act was intended to heighten security and protect citizens against terrorists, but also raised issues concerning civil rights.
The Patriot Act is legislation passed in 2001 in the attempt to enhance the abilities of U.S. law enforcement to detect and deter terrorism. The act’s official title is, “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism,” or USA-PATRIOT.
Certain provisions of the law are still controversial.