Photo courtesy of Britannica

On September 11, 2001, 23 years ago today, the United States witnessed the traumatic events when Islamic extremists piloted civilian aircraft as suicide bombers and attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. With the smoke billowing, survivors covered in ash, and nearly 3,000 Americans dead, the demand for action prompted the Bush administration and Congress to USA Patriot Act from 2001.

The Patriot Act was a law that greatly expanded the powers of federal law enforcement, particularly by introducing new surveillance and search powers that were previously deemed unconstitutional. Many provisions of the Patriot Act allowed surprise searches, electronic surveillance, and data collection without the government having to prove probable cause.

Before 9/11, the idea of ​​allowing law enforcement virtually unfettered access to personal information and surveillance of people they viewed as potential terrorist threats would have seemed absurd. Yet that is exactly what the Patriot Act allows the U.S. government to do.

“The changes enacted today will help counter a threat the likes of which our nation has never faced… We have seen the enemy murder thousands of innocent, unsuspecting people… they have no conscience,” President Bush said.

Given the scale and scope of the September 11 attacks, many felt that these provisions were necessary for the security of the United States. criticism of the Patriot Act was that it violated, possibly intentionally, the individual’s right to privacy and freedom of expression.

One reason for criticism of the Patriot Act was that it violated the Fourth Amendment by allowing searches and surveillance without a warrant and without probable cause. There was also concern that the Patriot Act permitted searches of people exercising their First Amendment right to free speech.

“It was the use of al-Qaeda and fear to manipulate our domestic politics,” said Senator Russ Feingold, the only Senate member to vote “no” on the Patriot Act, in a Interview with CNN.

Whatever the reason for the Patriot Act, it was passed by Congress with overwhelming support on October 25, 2001. In 2015, President Obama signed the USA Freedom Actthat would replace the Patriot Act. This new law would take away the government’s ability to collect data in bulk, but would retain many of the other provisions of the Patriot Act.

It is disputed whether the Patriot Act had the intended effect. In 2015, the Justice Department Inspector General reported that several FBI agents could not identify a single serious case of terrorism that had been thwarted using the new powers granted by the Patriot Act.

The landscape of government surveillance, free speech, and security has radically changed since the events of September 11. The immense changes the country has experienced have given rise to numerous modern debates about privacy, state power, and security.

The current debate about the possible Ban or sale of TikTok Many of the issues are the same as those in the Patriot Act. In this debate, national security is cited in particular as a reason for the US government to collect data, prohibit certain Internet activities and exercise power in the market.

“This sounds a lot like what we saw with the Patriot Act,” said former Senator Tulsi Gabbard in a Interview with Fox.

9/11 and the Patriot Act opened the door to widespread government surveillance. Now that that door is open, it continues to generate controversy today, as demonstrated by bills like the proposal to ban TikTok.

The attacks of September 11 were so disturbing for America that they led to the now famous War on terror. After such a horrific event, politicians wrestled with options, and the impact of those decisions changed government, public life and politics forever.