"Protect America" Act Extends NSA Wiretapping

President Bush signed into law the "Protect America Act" aimed at updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and giving law enforcement authorities greater leeway in intercepting foreign electronic communications without a specific court order. The law targets telephone or Internet communications in which one party is "reasonably believed to be located outside of the United States" or that transits a communications hub in the United States. Such surveillance is conducted by the National Security Agency. Under the law, telecommunications companies are compelled to cooperate with these efforts and immunizes them from legal liability for doing so. The law sunsets in six months.

http://www.whitehouse.govhttp://www.nsa.gov