In a letter to the President of the European Commission’s Data Protection working group, Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union describes how the US National Security Agency (NSA) is eavesdropping on Internet communications in Europe.
The bottom line?
“…the NSA is not just targeting individuals but is also using data mining systems to evaluate the communications of millions of people both inside and outside the United States.
This activity involves no oversight or legal protections for non-U.S. persons. As a result, the communications of European citizens are completely vulnerable to abuse. “
The letter cites a 2007 Wired article describing “How the US Became Switchboard to the World”. Essentially, ISPs not in the US wanting to route internet traffic from one country to another have traditionally found it easier and cheaper to send it via the US.
I’m not sure how significant that article is to the issue of NSA tapping into Internet traffic outside the US. It suggests that the practice is diminishing as countries improve their infrastructure and more traffic is routed locally.
So until we hear of documented instances of traffic interception the issue will be somewhat cloudy.