Whats my personal or institutional liability for complying with law enforcement requests for information? What happens if I don comply?
The PATRIOT Act absolves all institutions and employees of any responsibility for releasing personal information in compliance with a FISA search warrant; similar immunities are provided for National Security Letters and ECPA orders. If you don’t comply with an information request, or if you break the gag order, you could be charged with contempt of court. Over the past few years, legislation introduced by various members of Congress proposed a jail term as a penalty for violating the gag order or obstructing execution of the warrant.
