The USA Patriot Act: The Beginning of a Dialogue for IT Management

by Scott Nathan

The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, or USA Patriot Act, was conceived, drafted, revised, and signed into law 45 days after 9/11 and alters at least 15 federal statutes. Some contend -- perhaps correctly -- that this mammoth legislation is merely an instinctive reaction to the events of 9/11: a natural response to an act of war. Certainly, there are portions of the legislation that are unlikely to withstand a court challenge. The purpose of this Executive Update is to highlight the need for development of additional policies to address governmental requests for information and internal information monitoring; for training of staff and executives; for renewed thinking about the use and storage of business records; and for routine involvement of legal counsel to protect the rights of an organization's employees and constituents while cooperating in the war against terrorism.