Transnational seems like a good place to start. It seems like a tough space to break into ( no PUN intended).
On Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 7:15 AM, Leo Bicknell <bickn...@ufp.org> wrote: > > On Jun 25, 2013, at 7:38 AM, Phil Fagan <philfa...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Are these private links or customer links? Why encrypt at that layer? I'm > > looking for the niche usecase. > > I was reading an article about the UK tapping undersea cables ( > http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jun/21/gchq-cables-secret-world-communications-nsa) > and thought back to my time at AboveNet and dealing with undersea cables. > My initial reaction was doubt, there are thousands of users on the cables, > ISP's and non-ISP's, and working with all of them to split off the data > would be insanely complicated. Then I read some more articles that > included quotes like: > > Interceptors have been placed on around 200 fibre optic cables where > they come ashore. This appears to have been done with the secret > co-operation ( > http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/24/gchq-tempora-101) > > Which made me immediately realize it would be far simpler to strong arm > the cable operators to split off all channels before connecting them to the > customer. If done early enough they could all be split off as 10G > channels, even if they are later muxed down to lower speeds reducing the > number of handoffs to the spy apparatus. > > Very few ISP's ever go to the landing stations, typically the cable > operators provide cross connects to a small number of backhaul providers. > That makes a much smaller number of people who might ever notice the > splitters and taps, and makes it totally transparent to the ISP. But the > big question is, does this happen? I'm sure some people on this list have > been to cable landing stations and looked around. I'm not sure if any of > them will comment. > > If it does, it answers Phil's question. An ISP encrypting such a link end > to end foils the spy apparatus for their customers, protecting their > privacy. The US for example has laws that provide greater authority to tap > "foreign" communications than domestic, so even though the domestic links > may not be encrypted that may still pose a decent roadblock to siphoning > off traffic. > > Who's going to be the first ISP that advertises they encrypt their links > that leave the country? :) > > -- > Leo Bicknell - bickn...@ufp.org - CCIE 3440 > PGP keys at http://www.ufp.org/~bicknell/ > > > > > > -- Phil Fagan Denver, CO 970-480-7618
