This is expounded upon in some news articles, particularly that data is routed not by the most efficient geographic route but by the cheapest by dollar price.
It's a very important tidbit of information that divulges the heart of the matter -- the NSA is a backbone operator[1]. It's a tall claim to make, however their involvement in internet exchange points (and other regional network access points) would be far more difficult to conceal.
It's a very important tidbit of information that divulges the heart of the matter -- the NSA is a backbone operator[1]. It's a tall claim to make, however their involvement in internet exchange points (and other regional network access points) would be far more difficult to conceal.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier_1_network#List_of_tier_1_n...