Comment on this post discussion . After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the USA Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Act were passed as major laws to boost national security. While both aimed to make the country safer, they employed different approaches and had distinct effects on how the government operates, the protection of civil liberties, and the collaboration between agencies. After the events of September 11, 2001, the USA Patriot Act was quickly signed into law in October 2001 to help law enforcement agencies detect and prevent terrorism more effectively (Department of Justice, 2002). The main idea was to make it easier for intelligence and law enforcement agencies to share information and expand their surveillance powers. For example, the Act allowed for things like roving wiretaps, easier access to business records, and the ability to keep an eye on so-called "lone wolf" suspects who weren't tied to foreign terrorist groups (USA Patriot Act, 2001). However, the Patriot Act sparked a lot of debate about civil liberties, particularly the risk of violating Fourth Amendment rights that protect against unreasonable searches and seizures. Critics pointed out that certain parts of the law, such as Section 215 (often called the "library records provision"), gave the government broad surveillance powers that some felt were excessive