The USA PATRIOT Act, short for the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, is a significant piece of U.S. legislation passed in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The act provides law enforcement and intelligence agencies with expanded powers to combat terrorism, including enhanced surveillance capabilities, information sharing among agencies, and measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. It has far-reaching implications for financial institutions, requiring them to implement strict anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) measures.
