Some online retailers fear that provisions of the USA Patriot Act will make consumers less likely to shop online and, as a result, are changing their privacy policies in order to retain less customer data. NY Times: Patriot Act Curbing Data Retention
At the core of his concerns is Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Under that section, businesses, organizations or citizens can be compelled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, if it has a federal judge’s order, to hand over any records the F.B.I. deems relevant to an investigation of terrorism or espionage, as long as the investigation is not based solely on actions already protected by the Constitution’s free speech provisions.
