Sect. 215 of Patriot Act Lawsuit commentary

FindLaw's Writ - Cassel: What An ACLU Suit Challenging An Important Section of the USA Patriot Act Tells Us About Surveillance and Secrecy

Elaine Cassel, June 9, 2004:

In April of this year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and a "John Doe" Internet Service Provider (ISP) sued Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller. The suit was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. (The case is ACLU v. Ashcroft et al..)

The plaintiffs challenge a portion of Section 215 of the notoriously controversial USA Patriot Act. The provision allows the FBI to access your personal financial, medical and business records, along with emails and logs of computer use.

In particular, in this suit, the plaintiffs challenge the provision insofar as it grants the government power to obtain subscriber information, billing records, and "electronic communication transactional records" from electronic communications providers. ("Electronic communication providers" are defined to encompass anyone who provides services for the receipt and transmission of electronic or wire communications.)

Comments

[Matthew Foley]

Great blog! I have some anti-patriot act gear up on http://www.cafepress.com/4thamendment

-- Matt