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But they can only get massive pipes of data via legally compelling a company, which means they need to either have a footprint in the USA or US employees willin

• gnosis 13y ago
  "they can only get massive pipes of data via legally compelling a company" No. They could simply ask for the data, without any compulsion. Most companies are only too happy to help, and will bend right over -- especially after whoever the boogieman of the day is has appeared on the news lately. They wouldn't want to be seen as not doing thier utmost to help fight the good fight. Compulsion is the second easiest and second most legal way. This way is also politically, legally and psychologically desirable for them, because they would like to push the envelope of what is considered legitimate surveillance. Apart from asking and compelling companies, they could just tap the fiber, or use other direct and indirect methods of surveillance. This is really what they do best, and what their original and primary mission has always been: mostly to spy on foreign governments and their agents. After all, the NSA isn't going to get very far asking or trying to compel China to give them a tap in to their data centers. So they'll have to find some other way to do it. And if you think they're going to have a hard time doing it in their own back yard as compared to a hostile country, you might want to reconsider.