Tensions Rise as Patriot Act Risks Expiration
This past Saturday, tensions ran high in Congress as the Senate sat in session nervously awaiting June 1st, the day several provisions in the Patriot Act are set to expire. The tensions stemmed from disagreements over a new bill, the USA Freedom Act, which would put restraints on certain aspects of the Patriot Act and prevent mass collection of records.
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), led the resistance against the USA Freedom Act. Sen. McConnell also proposed a bill that would extend the Patriot Act for an extra two moths. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) disagreed with his colleague, voting against the extension.
The debated USA Freedom Act would alter the Patriot Act, preventing intelligence agencies from bulk information collection from phone companies. Currently, under Section 215, companies must hand over documents about all of their customers at the government’s request.
If the Patriot Act gets renewed, the USA Freedom Act would extend nearly all powers, except bulk information collection. Instead, intelligence agencies, such as the NSA, would have to go to the phone companies and ask for a specific number they believe is connected with terrorism.
Currently, representatives fear that the program will expire unless the opposing opinions can be reconciled. If it is renewed, the new USA Freedom Act has serious implications for the strength and capabilities of intelligence organizations. The bulk information collection does not provide intelligence agents with information regarding the contents of the call, but simply what numbers Americans are calling, when they’re calling them, and the duration of the phone calls.
Rather than being detrimental to the American people, as is commonly believed, Section 215 is good because it protects against racial profiling. By receiving everyone’s data from phone companies, the government isn’t selecting one person to investigate. Instead, they simply receive phone numbers and when suspicious activity occurs, they can investigate that number.
While the data collected may not reveal any concrete content, it is important in maintaining a proactive offensive against domestic and foreign terror threats. Intelligence agencies can use this data to look for suspicious call logs, and then use that suspicion to launch further investigations. Used in a responsible manner, access to this information can be crucial in preventing domestic terror attacks. For example, consider a call being made from the U.S.A. to an Islamic State-controlled region in Syria. This may cause red flags to go up, allowing intelligence agencies to further investigate or to simply pay attention to the situation.
This preemptive action is crucial in the war on terror. The Islamic State has superseded all expectations in its ability to recruit foreign fighters. Many of these individuals are young adults and do not have a criminal background. Intelligence agencies ability to act offensively would be severely crippled by the passage of the USA Freedom Act. As the domestic threat increases, it is crucial that the United States Intelligence Community is afforded all tools and given access to information that can be integral in preventing attacks.
