After 9-11 in 2001, Congress passed the Patriot Act in an effort to prevent future attacks. At the time, there were a few groups that protested against the act on the grounds that it was a violation of Americans' 4th Amendment rights which guarantee protection from unwarranted searches and seizures of "...persons, houses, papers, and effects." Ten years later, it became known that the government had been using the Patriot Act to collect data on private citizens. Some government employees were even using their access to the technology to spy on former romantic partners and or acquaintances.
The argument in favor of the Act is to prevent future terror attacks noting that national security is imperative. The argument against the Act is that it is being abused to violate American's rights with opponents noting that the Act failed to prevent the terror attack at the Boston Marathon.
Does national security take precedence over Americans' rights that are guaranteed in the Constitution?