American Privacy Restoration Act

This bill would repeal the USA PATRIOT Act and return the law to how it was before October 25, 2001. In plain terms, it cancels the extra government powers the PATRIOT Act gave for collecting information and tracking people, restoring earlier privacy rules.

If this becomes law, agencies would have to follow the pre-2001 rules again when they look for records or monitor communications. That means less broad access to phone, internet, and other personal data than under the PATRIOT Act.

Key points

• Who is affected: People in the U.S., law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and phone/internet companies.
• What changes: The PATRIOT Act is repealed; laws go back to the rules in place on October 25, 2001.
• When: If enacted, the change would take effect as stated in the bill’s repeal language (the text specifies returning to pre-2001 law).