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Libraries and the Patriot Act

Many people, including lawyers, are not aware of the changes the Patriot Act (2001 edition) made in increasing the Government's power to access business records--including those of readers at the public library.
What most lawyers and members of the public may not realize -- but what librarians have to live with every day -- is that § 215 of the Patriot Act actually incorporates and extends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. The act now allows the FBI to make searches of libraries for readers' records. It further states, "No person shall disclose to any other person ... that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought or obtained tangible things under this section."

While FISA, with its secret intelligence courts, previously gave the FBI the power to execute search-and-gag orders, it was always within the context of foreign counterintelligence, and thus rarely used. "The gag provision was understandable and manageable because it was fairly narrowly applied," Barber says.

The Patriot Act extends FISA's powers to any criminal activity, and has made New Jersey librarians some of the most cautious people in the country."
Here is Section 215 of the Patriot Act:

SEC. 215. ACCESS TO RECORDS AND OTHER ITEMS UNDER THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT.

Title V of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.) is amended by striking sections 501 through 503 and inserting the following:

`SEC. 501. ACCESS TO CERTAIN BUSINESS RECORDS FOR FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM INVESTIGATIONS.

`(a)(1) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or a designee of the Director (whose rank shall be no lower than Assistant Special Agent in Charge) may make an application for an order requiring the production of any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, provided that such investigation of a United States person is not conducted solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution.

`(2) An investigation conducted under this section shall--

`(A) be conducted under guidelines approved by the Attorney General under Executive Order 12333 (or a successor order); and
`(B) not be conducted of a United States person solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
`(b) Each application under this section--

`(1) shall be made to--
`(A) a judge of the court established by section 103(a); or
`(B) a United States Magistrate Judge under chapter 43 of title 28, United States Code, who is publicly designated by the Chief Justice of the United States to have the power to hear applications and grant orders for the production of tangible things under this section on behalf of a judge of that court; and
`(2) shall specify that the records concerned are sought for an authorized investigation conducted in accordance with subsection (a)(2) to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities.
`©(1) Upon an application made pursuant to this section, the judge shall enter an ex parte order as requested, or as modified, approving the release of records if the judge finds that the application meets the requirements of this section.

`(2) An order under this subsection shall not disclose that it is issued for purposes of an investigation described in subsection (a).

`(d) No person shall disclose to any other person (other than those persons necessary to produce the tangible things under this section) that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought or obtained tangible things under this section.

`(e) A person who, in good faith, produces tangible things under an order pursuant to this section shall not be liable to any other person for such production. Such production shall not be deemed to constitute a waiver of any privilege in any other proceeding or context.
Update: IsThatLegal tells how the Patriot Act is affecting real estate lawyers.
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