US President George W Bush has signed a controversial law expanding legal authority for wiretaps by spy agencies.
As he signed the measure, Mr Bush hailed the legislation as ‘vital to the security of our people’.
‘The bill will allow our intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor the communications of terrorists abroad while respecting the liberties of Americans here at home,’ he said.
The law includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications firms which aided warrantless government surveillance operations following the 11 September attacks in 2001, which was a key demand of the White House.
The bill had sparked fierce debate between civil liberties advocates who argue it eroded checks on the power of government and intelligence officials who feared the row was compromising their power to stop terror attacks.
Senators finally voted Wednesday 69 to 28 to pass the measure, after blocking several attempts to water down the immunity for telecom firms.
