Protecting Sensitive Data: The Experience of Russia and the US

... Various legislative measures were adopted during this period that significantly strengthened the powers of the state bodies in terms of granting the government access to confidential information and the giving it the ability to control information (the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001, for example). It was at this time that the U.S. intelligence services were given the technical capabilities and powers to access various categories of confidential information and personal data, which drew criticism from human rights organizations and the international community. The information policy of the Obama administration was more balanced and moderate. The adoption of the USA Freedom Act , which got rid of the most stringent ...