Key Provisions of USA Patriot Act

source: NEWSMAX.com

Sixteen provisions of the USA Patriot Act are set to expire Dec. 31 if not renewed. The Senate voted Wednesday night to extend them six months. That still has to be approved by the House.

The provisions are:

Section 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.

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◘○What is the Privacy protection and the law"?◘○

The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act

Source:(Google-Commit on Open Goverment page)

The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (5 U.S.C. 552a(o) et seq.) amended the Privacy Act by describing the manner in which computer matching involving Federal agencies could be performed and by adding certain protections for individuals applying for and receiving Federal benefits.

As amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act, the Privacy Act requires Federal agencies involved in computer matching programs to:

1. Negotiate written agreements with the other agency or agencies participating in the matching programs;
2. Obtain the relevant Data Integrity Boards' approval of the match agreements;
3. Furnish detailed reports about matching programs to Congress and OMB;
4. Notify applicants and beneficiaries that their records are subject to matching; and
5. Verify match findings before reducing, suspending, terminating, or denying an individual's benefits or payments.

Though the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act certainly involves detailed procedures, including obscure 'Data Integrity Boards,' it is probably most notable for the fact that it institutionalizes sharing of data among federal government agencies. Information collected for one purpose may be used for different purposes by a different federal agency. Though integrity and fairness seem assured by the Act, privacy is not.

♣♠What is Privacy?♣♠

Privacy may be defined as the claim of individuals, groups or institutions to determine when, how and to what extent information about them is communicated to others (Westin AF, Privacy and Freedom New York: Atheneum, 1967, page 7).

Privacy is your right to control what happens with personal information about you.

In Australia there is no general right to privacy.

Some protection is afforded through the operation of certain Federal and State legislation, together with the law of contract, tort and confidential information.

☺♣Who are Computer criminals and their object?♠☺

☺Swiss researchers have shown that computer criminals can misuse the electromagnetic
signals produced by when buttons of a keyword to eavesdrop on what a user types.
Computer criminals can hear what you type on a keyboard.

☺To be sure, some computer criminals are mean and sinister types. But many more
wear business suits, have university degrees, and appear to be pillars of their
communities. Some high school or university students. Other are middle-aged business
executives. Some are mentally deranged, overtly hostile, or extremely committed
to a cause, and they attack computers as a symbol. Others are ordinary people
tempted by personal profit, revenge, challenge, advancement, or job security.
No single profile captures the characteristics of a "typical" computer criminal,
and many who fit the profile are not criminals at all.

☺☻Zero-Day Attack☻☺

♥A Zero-Day attack, is also known as hour attack,takes advantage of computer
vulnerabilities that do not currently have a solution. Typically, a software company
will discover a bug or problem with a piece of software after it has been released
and will a patch - another piece of software meant to fix the original issue.
A zero day attack will take advantage of that problem before a patch has been created.
It is named zero day because it occurs before the first day the vulnerability is known.

A zero day attack will take advantage of a bug that neither the software
creators nor users are aware of. In fact, this is precisely what malicious programmers
hope to find. By finding software vulnerability before the software's makers find them.
A programmer can create a virus or worm that exploits that vulnerability and harms
computer systems in a variety of ways.

☺☻What would I say or do'?☺☻

1.If i have a problem like in the question that it was my folt my IT security consultant was hacked,
and i was giving a 90 days to fixed the problem 1,000,000 dollars. I will talk first to my boss and to my co-worker that it was a accedentally
happen, not a traitor.Then next I will check my IT security that it was not a easy and i will sure that my security consultant is a new.
Then i will be check if there someonelse who's trator.And I will be change the IT security system and do my time brachet.

2. My friend is too genius that he can do the virus at tha all time that he's trator to the company. I will tell the administration that there will
be a virus that would come to the worldstation at exactly 3:00pm and ir will end at 4:00pm and tell them that it is only a message
and it is harmless, so that they will not peace at that time.And i can say that you can defeat me. I will do my best as a worker.