The Obama Administration intends to put an end to a Bush-era program that authorizes the use of US spy satellites for domestic security purposes.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to abandon the controversial project, which was developed when the former President George Bush was in office to give law enforcement an extra tool to fight "terrorism", said a government official on Monday.

"It's being shut down," said a homeland security official.

Initiated in 2007, the program, which is called the National Applications Office, was lambasted by advocates of civil liberty and privacy as they said it would lead to domestic spying.

While the Democrats have welcomed the closing of the program, some Republicans remain skeptical, urging the project to be maintained.

"If it is true, it's a very big mistake," said Peter King, who is the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. "This is definitely a step back in the war on terror."

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks US statesmen began putting together laws to further surveillance programs aimed at the American people. The move drew great criticism on the part of civil liberty and privacy supporters.

According to Privacy International, in 2007 the United States had a privacy index score of 1.5 (out of five possible points), which makes the US tied for forty-first with Taiwan and Thailand out of forty seven countries.

RB/SC/DT