Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows FBI agents to obtain a warrant from a secret federal court for library or bookstore records of anyone connected to an investigation of international terrorism or spying. Unlike conventional search warrants, there is no need for agents to show that the target is suspected of a crime or possesses evidence of a crime. In a letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D Vt., Assistant Attorney General Daniel Bryant said Americans who provide personal information to borrow or buy books “assumes the risk that the entity may disclose it to another.” In addition, libraries and bookstores are prohibited by law from telling their patrons, or anyone else, that the FBI has sought the records.