U.S. President Barack Obama will proceed with a Bush-era plan to screen Internet data traffic between government computer systems and private-sector networks, the Washington Post reported Friday.

The plan will be assisted by National Security Agency (NSA), with AT&T as the likely test site, administration officials were quoted as saying.

The move seems to contradict Obama's earlier remarks that cyber security programs will not involve "monitoring private-sector networks or Internet traffic."

The plan has provoked debate within the administration because of uncertainty over whether private data can be shielded from unauthorized scrutiny, how much of a role NSA should play and whether the agency's involvement in warrantless wiretapping under the Bush administration would draw controversy.

The plan, called as Einstein 3, was approved during the Bush administration.

AT&T, which was sued over its role in Bush-era's wiretapping program, is seeking legal assurance that it will not be sued for participation in Einstein 3.

Source: Xinhua