News: Patriot Act spawns free speech spat Some lawmakers and civil libertarians are attacking the 6-month-old Patriot Act, saying it has "created the danger that Americans will be afraid to communicate freely over the Internet."

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Rep. Patsy Mink, D-Hi., along with the Free Expression Network--a coalition of organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center--blasted the act, saying it risks becoming an "unwise and unnecessary" restriction on free speech.

The bill, passed in the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, gives law enforcement unprecedented powers to monitor people's activities, including their Web and e-mail habits.

Group members issued a statement during a Capitol Hill briefing Thursday, saying that while they "support legitimate law enforcement activities designed to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks and to prevent future attacks on our security, we oppose doing so in ways that fundamentally threaten democracy."

The group spoke out against a variety of alleged abuses--including detaining people without charging them or disclosing their identities, suppressing public debate, and needlessly monitoring citizens' Internet use.

For example, the group said that librarians can be forced to turn over records of patrons' Web surfing habits without telling them, and already 15 government agencies have removed "sensitive" information from the Internet.
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