Americans fickle in attitude's to domestic surveillance

Americans are fickle in their attitude about domestic surveillance, finds Michael Moynihan

IN 2011, US Republican congressman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin sais that “as author of the Patriot Act”, he “applauded the House and Senate” for extending provisions of the controversial legislation, including a section allowing investigators powers to monitor and seize “any tangible things” related to a terrorism investigation.

Last week, in a letter to US attorney general Eric Holder, Sensenbrenner — now apparently surprised at how his legislation was used by the National Security Agency — wrote that “as the author of the Patriot Act, I am extremely disturbed by what appears to be an overbroad interpretation of the Act”.