Patriot Act steht in den USA zur Diskussion

--- Das US-Justizministerium zieht überraschenderweise Änderungen am Patriot Act, dem umstrittenen Anti-Terrorgesetzespaket der USA, in Betracht: Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales will propose some "technical modifications" to the controversial USA Patriot Act today in an effort to address the concerns of critics and ensure that the anti-terrorism legislation is renewed by Congress later this year, according to a Justice Department official. In an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gonzales will support changes in the law concerning secret warrants for financial documents, library data and other business records, according to the Justice official. The changes would clearly limit the use of such warrants to national security investigations and would allow targets to mount legal challenges to the search, the official said. The proposal marks a significant shift for the Justice Department, which under Attorney General John D. Ashcroft had refused to entertain proposed changes to the legislation. It also marks an acknowledgment of the growing clout of critics of the law, who come from both the political left and right, and have persuaded scores of communities around the country to pass resolutions condemning the act. The law, approved overwhelmingly in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, dramatically increased the government's power to conduct clandestine searches and surveillance in a range of criminal cases. But about a dozen of its major provisions -- including the records provision that Gonzales has agreed to change -- are set to expire later this year unless Congress acts to renew them. Mehr zum Thema auch bei CNet, dort auch Daten zum bisherigen Einsatz einiger Schnüffelbefugnisse auf Basis des umstrittenen Gesetzes.

Interessanterweise sieht Rot-Grün hierzulande keinerlei Erfordernis, die hiesigen weitgehenden Terrorismusbekämpfungsgesetze zumindest teilweise wieder einzuschränken. Stattdessen sollen sie laut Schily sogar noch erweitert werden. Eine verkehrte Welt ist das mal wieder.