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.

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. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier_1_network#List_of_tier_1_networks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier_1_network#List_of_tier_1_n...