Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001
| Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001 | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | USA PATRIOT ACT 2001 |
| Official Text | Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001 |
| Country/Jurisdiction | United States |
| State or Province | |
| Regulatory Bodies | |
| Date Enacted | 2006/10/26 |
| Scope of the Law | Individuals, Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and Americans from South Asia |
| Information | |
| Taxonomy | Breach of Confidentiality, Disclosure, Exclusion, Insecurity |
| Strategies | |
An Act to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and across the globe, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes.
Text of the law
SEC. 102. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONDEMNING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ARAB AND MUSLIM AMERICANS. Insecurity
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and Americans from South Asia, must be protected, and that every effort must be taken to preserve their safety;
(2) any acts of violence or discrimination against any Americans be condemned; and Ethnicity "Personal#list" contains a listed "#" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.
(3) the Nation is called upon to recognize the patriotism of fellow citizens from all ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. Ethnicity, Knowledge and Belief "Personal#list" contains a listed "#" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.
SEC. 105. EXPANSION OF NATIONAL ELECTRONIC CRIME TASK FORCE INITIATIVE. Insecurity
The Director of the United States Secret Service shall take
appropriate actions to develop a national network of electronic
crime task forces, based on the New York Electronic Crimes Task
Force model, throughout the United States, for the purpose of
preventing, detecting, and investigating various forms of electronic
crimes, including potential terrorist attacks against critical infrastructure and financial payment systems.
SEC. 203. AUTHORITY TO SHARE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE INFORMATION. Exclusion, Disclosure
‘‘(iii) Any Federal official to whom information is disclosed pursuant to clause (i)(V) of this subparagraph may
use that information only as necessary in the conduct of
that person’s official duties subject to any limitations on
the unauthorized disclosure of such information. Within
a reasonable time after such disclosure, an attorney for
the government shall file under seal a notice with the
court stating the fact that such information was disclosed
and the departments, agencies, or entities to which the
disclosure was made
(1) LAW ENFORCEMENT.—Section 2517 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting at the end the following:
‘‘(6) Any investigative or law enforcement officer, or attorney for the Government, who by any means authorized by this chapter, has obtained knowledge of the contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication, or evidence derived therefrom, may disclose such contents to any other Federal law enforcement, intelligence, protective, immigration, national defense, or national security official to the extent that such contents include foreign intelligence or counterintelligence (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a)), or foreign intelligence information (as defined in subsection (19) of section 2510 of this title), to assist the official who is to receive that information in the performance of his official duties. Any Federal official who receives information pursuant to this provision may use that information only as necessary in the conduct of that person’s official duties subject to any limitations on the unauthorized disclosure of such information.’’
(d) FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, it shall be lawful for foreign intelligence or counterintelligence (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a)) or foreign intelligence information obtained as part of a criminal investigation to be disclosed to any Federal law enforcement, intelligence, protective, immigration, national defense, or national security official in order to assist the official receiving that information in the performance of his official duties. Any Federal official who receives information pursuant to this provision may use that information only as necessary in the conduct of that person’s official duties subject to any limitations on the unauthorized disclosure of such information.
SEC. 212. EMERGENCY DISCLOSURE OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND LIMB.
‘‘§ 2702. Voluntary disclosure of customer communications or records’’;
(B) in subsection (a)—
(i) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end;
(ii) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(iii) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
‘‘(3) a provider of remote computing service or electronic communication service to the public shall not knowingly divulge a record or other information pertaining to a subscriber to or customer of such service (not including the contents of communications covered by paragraph (1) or (2)) to any governmental entity.’’;
‘‘(c) EXCEPTIONS FOR DISCLOSURE OF CUSTOMER RECORDS.—
A provider described in subsection (a) may divulge a record or other information pertaining to a subscriber to or customer of such service (not including the contents of communications covered by subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2))—
‘‘(1) as otherwise authorized in section 2703;
‘‘(2) with the lawful consent of the customer or subscriber;
‘‘(3) as may be necessarily incident to the rendition of the service or to the protection of the rights or property of the provider of that service;
‘‘(4) to a governmental entity, if the provider reasonably believes that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person justifies disclosure of the information; or
‘‘(5) to any person other than a governmental entity.’’.
(2) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections for chapter 121 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to section 2702 and inserting the following:
SEC. 217. INTERCEPTION OF COMPUTER TRESPASSER COMMUNICATIONS.
(2) in section 2511(2), by inserting at the end the following:
‘‘(i) It shall not be unlawful under this chapter for a person acting under color of law to intercept the wire or electronic communications of a computer trespasser transmitted to, through, or from the protected computer, if—
‘‘(I) the owner or operator of the protected computer authorizes the interception of the computer trespasser’s communications on the protected computer;
‘‘(II) the person acting under color of law is lawfully engaged in an investigation;
‘‘(III) the person acting under color of law has reasonable grounds to believe that the contents of the computer trespasser’s communications will be relevant to the investigation; and
‘‘(IV) such interception does not acquire communications other than those transmitted to or from the computer trespasser.’’.
SEC. 314. COOPERATIVE EFFORTS TO DETER MONEY LAUNDERING.
(a) COOPERATION AMONG FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, REGULATORY AUTHORITIES, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.— (1) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall, within 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, adopt regulations to encourage further cooperation among financial institutions, their regulatory authorities, and law enforcement authorities, with the specific purpose of encouraging regulatory authorities and law enforcement authorities to share with financial institutions information regarding individuals, entities, and organizations engaged in or reasonably suspected based on credible evidence of engaging in terrorist acts or money laundering activities.
(2) COOPERATION AND INFORMATION SHARING PROCEDURES.—The regulations adopted under paragraph (1) may include or create procedures for cooperation and information sharing focusing on—
(A) matters specifically related to the finances of terrorist groups, the means by which terrorist groups transfer funds around the world and within the United States, including through the use of charitable organizations, nonprofit organizations, and nongovernmental organizations, and the extent to which financial institutions in the United States are unwittingly involved in such finances and the extent to which such institutions are at risk as a result;
(B) the relationship, particularly the financial relationship, between international narcotics traffickers and foreign terrorist organizations, the extent to which their memberships overlap and engage in joint activities, and the extent to which they cooperate with each other in raising and transferring funds for their respective purposes; and
(C) means of facilitating the identification of accounts and transactions involving terrorist groups and facilitating the exchange of information concerning such accounts and transactions between financial institutions and law enforce ment organizations.
(3) CONTENTS.—The regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (1) may— (A) require that each financial institution designate 1 or more persons to receive information concerning, and to monitor accounts of individuals, entities, and organizations identified, pursuant to paragraph (1); and
(B) further establish procedures for the protection of the shared information, consistent with the capacity, size, and nature of the institution to which the particular procedures apply.
(4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The receipt of information by a financial institution pursuant to this section shall not relieve or otherwise modify the obligations of the financial institution with respect to any other person or account.
(5) USE OF INFORMATION.—Information received by a financial institution pursuant to this section shall not be used for any purpose other than identifying and reporting on activities that may involve terrorist acts or money laundering activities.
(b) COOPERATION AMONG FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.—Upon notice provided to the Secretary, 2 or more financial institutions and any association of financial institutions may share information with one another regarding individuals, entities, organizations, and countries suspected of possible terrorist or money laundering activities. A financial institution or association that transmits, receives, or shares such information for the purposes of identifying and reporting activities that may involve terrorist acts or money laundering activities shall not be liable to any person under any law or regulation of the United States, any constitution, law, or regulation of any State or political subdivision thereof, or under any contract or other legally enforceable agreement (including any arbitration agreement), for such disclosure or for any failure to provide notice of such disclosure to the person who is the subject of such disclosure, or any other person identified in the disclosure, except where such transmission, receipt, or sharing violates this section or regulations promulgated pursuant to this section.
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Compliance with the provisions of this title requiring or allowing financial institutions and any association of financial institutions to disclose or share information regarding individuals, entities, and organizations engaged in or suspected of engaging in terrorist acts or money laundering activities shall not constitute a violation of the provisions of title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (Public Law 106–102).
SEC. 358. BANK SECRECY PROVISIONS AND ACTIVITIES OF UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES TO FIGHT INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM.
‘‘§ 626. Disclosures to governmental agencies for counterterrorism purposes Breach of Confidentiality, Insecurity
‘‘(c) CONFIDENTIALITY.—No consumer reporting agency, or
officer, employee, or agent of such consumer reporting agency, shall
disclose to any person, or specify in any consumer report, that
a government agency has sought or obtained access to information
under subsection (a).
‘‘(e) SAFE HARBOR.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, any consumer reporting agency or agent or employee thereof making disclosure of consumer reports or other information pursuant to this section in good-faith reliance upon a certification of a governmental agency pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be liable to any person for such disclosure under this subchapter, the constitution of any State, or any law or regulation of any State or any political subdivision of any State.’’.
SEC. 361. FINANCIAL CRIMES ENFORCEMENT NETWORK. Insecurity, Disclosure
‘‘(2) DUTIES AND POWERS.—The duties and powers of the
Director are as follows:
‘‘(A) Advise and make recommendations on matters relating to financial intelligence, financial criminal activities, and other financial activities to the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement.
‘‘(B) Maintain a government-wide data access service, with access, in accordance with applicable legal requirements, to the following:
‘‘(i) Information collected by the Department of the Treasury, including report information filed under subchapter II of chapter 53 of this title (such as reports on cash transactions, foreign financial agency transactions and relationships, foreign currency transactions, exporting and importing monetary instruments, and suspicious activities), chapter 2 of title I of Public Law 91–508, and section 21 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
‘‘(ii) Information regarding national and international currency flows.
‘‘(iii) Other records and data maintained by other Federal, State, local, and foreign agencies, including financial and other records developed in specific cases.
‘‘(iv) Other privately and publicly available information.
‘‘(C) Analyze and disseminate the available data in accordance with applicable legal requirements and policies and guidelines established by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement to—
‘‘(i) identify possible criminal activity to appropriate Federal, State, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies; Criminal "Personal#list" contains a listed "#" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.
‘‘(ii) support ongoing criminal financial investigations and prosecutions and related proceedings, including civil and criminal tax and forfeiture proceedings;
‘‘(iii) identify possible instances of noncompliance with subchapter II of chapter 53 of this title, chapter 2 of title I of Public Law 91–508, and section 21 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to Federal agencies with statutory responsibility for enforcing compliance with such provisions and other appropriate Federal regulatory agencies;
‘‘(iv) evaluate and recommend possible uses of special currency reporting requirements under section 5326;
‘‘(v) determine emerging trends and methods in money laundering and other financial crimes;
‘‘(vi) support the conduct of intelligence or counterintelligence activities, including analysis, to protect against international terrorism; and ‘‘(vii) support government initiatives against money laundering.
‘‘(D) Establish and maintain a financial crimes communications center to furnish law enforcement authorities with intelligence information related to emerging or ongoing investigations and undercover operations.
‘‘(E) Furnish research, analytical, and informational services to financial institutions, appropriate Federal regulatory agencies with regard to financial institutions, and appropriate Federal, State, local, and foreign law enforcement authorities, in accordance with policies and guidelines established by the Secretary of the Treasury or the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, in the interest of detection, prevention, and prosecution of terrorism, organized crime, money laundering, and other financial crimes. Insecurity
‘‘(F) Assist Federal, State, local, and foreign law
enforcement and regulatory authorities in combatting the
use of informal, nonbank networks and payment and barter
system mechanisms that permit the transfer of funds or
the equivalent of funds without records and without compliance with criminal and tax laws.
‘‘(G) Provide computer and data support and data analysis to the Secretary of the Treasury for tracking and controlling foreign assets.
‘‘(H) Coordinate with financial intelligence units in other countries on anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering initiatives, and similar efforts.
‘‘(I) Administer the requirements of subchapter II of chapter 53 of this title, chapter 2 of title I of Public Law 91–508, and section 21 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, to the extent delegated such authority by the Secretary of the Treasury.
‘‘(J) Such other duties and powers as the Secretary of the Treasury may delegate or prescribe.
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