Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral benefit of majority (or the greater good) outweighs that of the individual. A government must balance utilitarianism with each individual’s rights. Doctorow does not believe in utilitarianism. He believes that every single citizen should be treated equally under the government. While everyone would agree that this is ideal, it is not realistic. In order to provide everyone with equal safety and opportunities, those who are suspected of causing potential harm to the citizens of the United States through terrorism must sacrifice their right to privacy for the greater good.
In the end it comes down to the degree of which the rights of one side is being violated and the degree of benefit received by the other. What is most important for a government to avoid is one group of people always being on the negative side.
While there may be particular people targeted in the Patriot Act, the harm done is slim to none, unless one of the people targeted is, in fact, a terrorist. The invasion of privacy is purely to keep people safe from terrorism. It is not to condemn people of other crimes. If a person were innocent, there would be absolutely no harm done to them. The Patriot Act upholds the idea of utilitarianism in that it is aiding in the protection of hundreds of millions of people and only harming those who are putting said people in danger.