The terrorist attack on 9/11 prompted the US Congress to establish a legal document that entailed surveillance provisions-the Patriot Act. The law allows government agencies such as the NSA to spy on American citizens??™ activities. The government agencies closely monitor citizens??™ internet searches and activities such as travel patterns, library use, telephone communication, medical records, bookstore purchases and other financial records. The Guardian revealed NSA??™s PRISM program that allows access to internet-based information and the Foreign Intelligence Court order that required Verizon a telecommunications company to provide phone records (American Civil Liberties Union n.p.).