Domestic surveillance refers to government institutions monitoring its citizens, sometimes by spying illegally. In the United States, the issue has received renewed attention with the advent of the war on terror. In 1978, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) established regulations for acceptable domestic surveillance in the United States.

Incoming Attorney General Eric Holder has said that he supports some aspects of FISA but not others. A secret federal appeals court ruled on January 15, 2009, that presidents do not need to obtain warrants to "conduct foreign intelligence for national security purposes,." which is fairly clear support of the Bush administration policies allowing warrantless wire-tapping. During his confirmation hearing on the same day, Holder said he would attempt to curb the excesses of the National Security Agency.CNET: Secret court: Warrantless NSA wiretapping fine (January 15, 2009)

"The House and Senate have competing bills aimed at preventing a lapse in the Protect America Act. They differ mainly on the issue of retroactive immunity for telecom companies that cooperated in government surveillance programs. The House bill does not include such immunity while the Senate bill does." CBS News: House Democrats Move To Extend 'Protect America Act' For 21 Days (February 12, 2008)

"The White House and Republicans want the temporary surveillance law made permanent. But many Democrats, spurred on by objections from civil liberties and liberal groups, have balked at the administration's demand to add legal immunity for telephone companies, which face dozens of lawsuits over their role in warrantless wiretaps conducted after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." Washingtonpost.com: "Veto of Wiretap Measure Is Threatened" (January 27, 2008)

• Mahalo's Guide to Bush Seeks to Expand Spy Law

• American Civil Liberties Union
  • Wikipedia: ACLU v. NSA
  • Official Site: American Civil Liberties Union
  • American Civil Liberties Union: Personal Stories of Domestic Surveillance
• NSA
  • Slate: The old tricks of the National Security Agency
  • FindLaw: NSA - Featured Legal Documents

• The White House
  • The White House: Setting the Record Straight

• The Pentagon
  • CounterPunch: Mike Whitney: the Pentagon's Domestic Spying Operation (2005)