Monday, February 15, 2010

key provisions of the USA protection act

ection 201 -- Gives federal officials the authority to
intercept wire, spoken and electronic communications
relating to terrorism.

Section 202 -- Gives federal officials the authority to
intercept wire, spoken and electronic communications
relating to computer fraud and abuse offenses.

Subsection 203(b) -- Permits the sharing of grand jury
information that involves foreign intelligence or
counterintelligence with federal law enforcement,
intelligence, protective,immigration, national
defense or national security officials.

Subsection 203(d) -- Gives foreign intelligence or
counterintelligence officers the ability to share
foreign intelligence information obtained as part
of a criminal investigation with law enforcement.

Section 204 -- Makes clear that nothing in the law
regarding pen registers -- an electronic device
which records all numbers dialed from a particular
phone line -- stops the government's ability to
obtain foreign intelligence information.

Section 206 -- Allows federal officials to issue roving
"John Doe" wiretaps, which allow investigators to
listen in on any telephone and tap any computer they
think a suspected spy or terrorist might use.

Section 207 -- Increases the amount of time that federal
officials may watch people they suspect are spies or
terrorists.

Section 209 -- Permits the seizure of voicemail messages
under a warrant.

Section 212 -- Permits Internet service providers and
other electronic communication and remote computing
service providers to hand over records and e-mails
to federal officials in emergency situations.

Section 214 -- Allows use of a pen register or trap and
trace devices that record originating phone numbers
of all incoming calls in international terrorism or
spy investigations.

Section 215 -- Authorizes federal officials to obtain
"tangible items" like business records, including
those from libraries and bookstores,for foreign
intelligence and international terrorism
investigations.

Section 217 -- Makes it lawful to intercept the wire or
electronic communication of a computer hacker or
intruder in certain circumstances.

Section 218 -- Allows federal officials to wiretap or
watch suspects if foreign intelligence gathering is
a "significant purpose" for seeking a Federal
Intelligence Surveillance Act order. The pre-Patriot
Act standard said officials could ask for the
surveillance only if it was the sole or main purpose.

Section 220 -- Provides for nationwide service of search
warrants for electronic evidence.

Section 223 -- Amends the federal criminal code to provide
for administrative discipline of federal officers or
employees who violate prohibitions against unauthorized
disclosures of information gathered under this act.

Section 225 -- Amends FISA to prohibit lawsuits against
people or companies that provide information to federal
officials for a terrorism investigation.