I'm talking about a law signed in October 2001, just six weeks after the September 11th attacks the USA PATRIOT Act.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, this law was rushed through Congress with almost no debate. Many representatives said they didn't even have time to read the bill before being pressured to vote. And what did they vote for? A massive expansion of the government's authority to spy on its own citizens, while cutting the checks and balances meant to stop abuse.

Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act allows the FBI to force your internet provider, your doctor's office, or your bank to hand over records about you, and they are legally prohibited from telling you it happened. No probable cause. No warrant. No suspicion of wrongdoing required.

And here's the part that should make everyone angry: according to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a government-appointed watchdog, this program has not made a concrete difference in a single terrorism investigation. The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported it cost over 100 million taxpayer dollars between 2015 and 2019, leading to just one significant case.

Benjamin Franklin warned us: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Those words ring true as according to the ACLU, many of these surveillance powers were already on law enforcement's wish list before September 11th. The fear surrounding those attacks just gave them the opening they needed.

More recently, a Pew Research study found that 52% of Americans have already opted out of products or services because of privacy concerns. People feel it. And they're right.

So what can you do? Visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy, you may be surprised how exposed you are. Contact your representatives and demand warrant requirements, transparency, and real oversight of these surveillance laws.

A program that treats every American as a suspect, operates in secrecy, and fails to stop terrorism is not security. That is control and makes me think that Ben Franklin was right. We can demand both freedom and safety. And if we want to keep our freedoms we have to.