never did says Ashcroft.

["Hamaker, Chuck" <cahamake@email.uncc.edu>]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/968169.asp

"WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -  Under pressure from library groups and civil
liberties activists, Attorney General John Ashcroft declassified 
information Wednesday on how often the FBI has sought records from 
libraries and businesses without a search warrant under the anti-
terrorism Patriot Act. It turns out that the agency has never done so, 
he said in a memo obtained by NBC News. "
 
"UNTIL NOW, the Justice Department had refused to say how often it has 
used special secret court orders to search libraries, where it says 
potential terrorists could use public computers to communicate without 
detection.  Library and civil liberties groups have strongly objected 
to the special authority, one of the most contentious provisions of the 
Patriot Act, which was passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the 
United States. The law specifically bars librarians from telling 
patrons that their records have been reviewed."