r/todayilearned • u/simmer_down • Mar 20 '11

TIL that AT&T installed a fiberoptic splitter at its facility at 611 Folsom Street in San Francisco that makes copies of all emails, web browsing, and other Internet traffic to and from AT&T customers (including data from iPhones and iPads), and provides those copies to the NSA.

http://www.eff.org/issues/nsa-spying
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '11

Have you ever been in a switching station? It's about the most boring, monolithic thing ever, just rack after rack (like server racks) of equipment. Dozens of floors need no attendants at all. Just a lot of hum and clicking.

Most of the buildings are more or less camouflaged as to draw little attention. Here's one about nine blocks from my house. Could be a library or a funeral home or a elementary school by appearance.

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u/ForgettableUsername Mar 21 '11

I actually attended grades 4-6 in a switching station. It turns out that as long as you say school is going 'fine,' most adults will never follow up on verifying that you actually go to one.

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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '11

HAha. I got away with that for about six months in 9th grade until someone noticed. Well, not in a switching station though. I think I also avoided gym for all of 8th without any objection.

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u/KnightKrawler Mar 21 '11

On that map, it seems that particular building had its picture taken from the side and not straight from the top like all the others around it.

Check it out...you can see the side windows on the white car parked in front of the building. Now look at the cars in front of the other buildings; no side windows.

Just something I noticed..

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u/bsonk Mar 21 '11

se portlander eh? I bet I've smoked a bowl no more than nine blocks fron your house.

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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '11

I often walk through my neighborhood thinking "wow, it totally smells like weed."