The Patriot Act is one of the most controversial ruling of the United States in the modern days. It has raised the eyebrows of the majority of United States citizens, who feel that their right to intimacy and privacy is threatened by the clauses of the Patriot Act. There are voices that say the Patriot Act is a most necessary tool of the United States government and of the US Intel, like the National Security Agency in order to keep the terrorist threat away from becoming a terrible reality. Others legitimately make the case that the Patriot Act leads to a collection program of data which is, most of the time, irrelevant to the United States struggle against terrorist organizations and feel that they are treated as in an authoritarian system, where the state has an ample view over the correspondence between its citizens. We invite you to take a look at the implications of the Patriot Act`s Expiration, as on May 31 it might loose its authorization to function.
The Patriot Act and the data collecting program are subjects of debate even within the presidential race for the 2016 elections. While presidential hopefuls like Lindsey Graham would `kill you even if you thought of joining al Qaeda or ISIL`, some others, like Rand Paul, say that even if the national security is a top priority, it must be assured in accordance to the Constitution of the United States.
So the Patriot Act is without any doubts a big deal. But what exactly it would mean to ban the Patriot Act starting with May 31?
First of all, the Section 215 of the Patriot Act will be gone along with the authorization to the data collecting program. This means that the US Intel will not be allowed anymore to collect telephone metadata and to store it for a period of 5 years.
Secondly, the government will not have the tools of tracking `lone wolf` terrorists any longer, if they do not have a direct link to jihadi organizations.
In addition to that, the authorities will not be able to get a roving wiretap in order to track terrorists which very often change their communication gadgets.
However, even if the Patriot Act loses its authorization on May 31, the FBI and the NSA will still be allowed by the law to use such tools in order to finish investigations which were started prior to June 1.
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