Wow. The vote was 90 to 9. That says something.

What is it (specifically) about this act that scares you? From what I've read it give the Feds greater access to personal information if they have a court order.  I also found this;

Subtitle C--Information Security

SEC. 221. PROCEDURES FOR SHARING INFORMATION.

The Secretary shall establish procedures on the use of information shared under this title that--

(1) limit the redissemination of such information to ensure that it is not used for an unauthorized purpose;

(2) ensure the security and confidentiality of such information;

(3) protect the constitutional and statutory rights of any individuals who are subjects of such information; and

(4) provide data integrity through the timely removal and destruction of obsolete or erroneous names and information.

SEC. 222. PRIVACY OFFICER.

The Secretary shall appoint a senior official in the Department to assume primary responsibility for privacy policy, including--

(1) assuring that the use of technologies sustain, and do not erode, privacy protections relating to the use, collection, and disclosure of personal information;

(2) assuring that personal information contained in Privacy Act systems of records is handled in full compliance with fair information practices as set out in the Privacy Act of 1974;

(3) evaluating legislative and regulatory proposals involving collection, use, and disclosure of personal information by the Federal Government;

(4) conducting a privacy impact assessment of proposed rules of the Department or that of the Department on the privacy of personal information, including the type of personal information collected and the number of people affected; and

(5) preparing a report to Congress on an annual basis on activities of the Department that affect privacy, including complaints of privacy violations, implementation of the Privacy Act of 1974, internal controls, and other matters.

I, too, am concerned about possible abuses from some within the government who'll now possess these new abilities. But we also have more "watchdogs" in the media and special interest groups than ever before. I honestly believe this act will definately protect us from future acts of terror. If there are abuses of these new powers they should be dealt with quickly and severely. Our government has screwed up soooo many times in the past, I believe this current batch of public servants will not allow anything or anyone to screw this up. This is their chance to shine. It's also their chance to have it blow up in their face if it is abused.

Let's hope for the best, eh?