Societal Implications of the USA Patriot Act and How It Limits Daily Essay

Societal Implications of the USA Patriot Act and How It Limits Daily Life - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that one of the main ways the patriotic act limited people’s daily lives is by making them accept the unreasonable casual violation of their basic rights. For instance, the act made Americans accept without question that security agencies can subject them to unreasonable searches and seizures when they are traveling. The patriotic act limits the rights of Americans by increasing the capabilities of government to carry out surveillance in four areas. The act gives the government the power to conduct record searches. It does this by expanding the ability of the government to examine records indicating a person’s activity that are in third-party possession. The Patriotic act also authorizes secret searches that enable the government to search private property without issuing a notice. The Patriotic act also authorizes the government to conduct intelligence searches by extending an exception to the fourth amendment that was made to enable the government to gather foreign intelligence. The act also allows the government to engage in trap and trace searches by enabling the government to track the source and targets of communications and the content. The provisions of the patriotic act limit daily life by violating individual privacy. The act gives the government unchecked power to examine a person’s internet usage, medical history, library usage, and any other activity that leaves a record of some kind. This not only violates individual right to privacy protected in the fourth amend but may make people refrain from certain activities for fear of being watched by the government.