Foreword
In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Congress hastily passed the USA PATRIOT Act, enhancing the government’s authority to collect and analyze phone records and other forms of communication to gather intelligence. Although civil libertarians warned that the Act’s broad language would allow the government to spy on innocent Americans, it was approved by large majorities in the House and Senate and has been reauthorized several times since. In 2005, it was revealed that President George W. Bush had authorized the National Security Agency (NSA), estimated to be the largest of the U.S. intelligence agencies, to conduct a…
