( the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act )
a US law passed in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. It increases the powers of the US government in fighting terrorism including allowing the government to put non-US citizens in prison for an unlimited period of time without a trial if the Attorney General considers them to be a threat to national security. It has been strongly criticized by civil liberties organizations. Some parts of the law are due to end in 2005.