And then we have the so-called Patriot Act.
As originally proposed, it:

Expanded the federal government's ability to use wiretaps without judicial oversight;

Allowed nationwide search warrants non-specific to any given location, nor subject to any local judicial oversight;

Made it far easier for the government to monitor private internet usage;

Authorized "sneak and peek" warrants enabling federal authorities to search a person's home, office, or personal property without that person's knowledge; and

Required libraries and bookstores to turn over records of books read by their patrons.

Ron Paul has fought this battle for many years. He sponsored a bill to overturn the Patriot Act and has scored some victories, but today the threat to our liberty and privacy is more real than ever. We need steadfast leadership at the top to prevent Washington from centralizing power and extracting private data about our lives.