Section 215 of the Patriot ACT was an expansion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was originally passed in 1978. This section removed the limitation that it had to be a suspected spy or terrorist whose records were being sought. Now, anyone's records can be sought. The only limitation is that the secret warrant has to be relevant to a national security investigation.
The ACLU has argued that Section 215 violates Fourth Amendment protections by allowing the government to conduct searches without warrants or probable cause. The NSA scandal represents a "complete disregard for our Bill of Rights," Sen. Rand Paul said on Twitter.
It is our duty as Americans to have this violation repealed. Please sign the petition!
"Liberty, once lost, is lost forever" - John Adams