Tag Archives: FiberOptic

Leaked NSA audit shows privacy violations in cellular and fiber optic surveillance

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NSA seal

The NSA insists that it respects American privacy, but documents leaked by Edward Snowden to the Washington Post suggest that the agency has trouble maintaining that respect. A May 2012 audit, buried in the documents, 2,776 incidents where the NSA's Washington-area facilities inadvertently obtained protected American data through a mix of human errors and technical limits. Among its larger gaffes, the NSA regularly had problems determining when foreign cellphones were roaming in the US, leading to unintentional snooping on domestic calls. The agency also spent months tapping and temporarily storing a mix of international and domestic data from US fiber lines until the Foreign Intelligence Surveilliance Court ruled that the technique was unconstitutional. NSA officials responding to the leak say that their agency corrects and mitigates incidents where possible, and argue that it's difficult for the organization to avoid errors altogether. However, the audit also reveals that the NSA doesn't always report violations to overseers -- the division may be interested in fixing mistakes, but it's not eager to mention them.

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Washington Post

Intel teases MXC: a 1.6Tbps optical interconnect for servers

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Intel teases MXC a 16Tbps, optical interconnect for servers

While we think of optical connections as cutting edge, they're positively decrepit in server rooms; current fiber interconnect technology got its start in the 1980s. Intel may soon drag servers into the modern era with its just-teased MXC format, however. The standard (not pictured here) will combine both silicon photonics and a new form of Corning fiber to link servers at 1.6Tbps -- more than quick enough to eliminate many data bottlenecks. The connectors themselves are smaller, too. Intel won't say more about MXC until the Intel Developer Forum next month in San Francisco, but we already suspect that supercomputer operators will be happy with all that extra bandwidth.

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Via: PCWorld

Source: Intel

Verizon FiOS rolls out 500/100 Mbps broadband, its highest speed tier yet

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DNP Verizon FiOS rolls out 500Mbps broadband, its highest speed tier yet

The broadband speed wars continue to rage, and today, Verizon announced that it's throwing down with its fastest tier yet. With a download speed of 500 megabits per second (and an upload speed of 100Mbps), the leap forward marks the latest evolution of the company's fiber-optic Quantum Internet Service, which rolled out last summer. To put those numbers into perspective, you'll be able to download a 5GB HD movie in 1.4 minutes or upload a 100MB file in eight seconds, assuming you're operating at full speed. Verizon is hoping to gradually introduce its newest speed tier to all FiOS markets by 2014, with limited availability starting today. To hear what Big Red has to say about it, check out the video after the break.

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US reportedly uses security agreements to intercept data from undersea fiber optic lines

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Fiber optic lines

The US government has clear incentives to safeguard against internet attacks coming through undersea fiber optic lines, but the Washington Post now hears that they're stretching the law to make this happen. The newspaper claims that federal agencies push foreign fiber operators into Network Security Agreements that, while public, are used for eavesdropping that isn't covered under their terms. In the case of an old deal with Global Crossing, the telecom firm had to allow short-notice government visits and even keep top executives in the dark. The FCC reportedly serves as the bargaining chip, delaying cable licenses until providers agree to the terms. Government officials maintain that their surveillance is legal, although that's cold comfort -- the New York Times and Wall Street Journal both allege that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has reinterpreted laws to let the NSA collect more information than it would otherwise.

[Image credit: JL Hopgood, Flickr]

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Source: Washington Post

EU and Japan gun for 100Gbps fiber optic internet speeds via new research projects

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EU and Japan gun for 100Gbps fiber optic internet speeds via new research projects

The European Commission and Japan have just announced a series of research projects to help speed up replacement of their soon-to-be-antiquated internet backbones. One of them, the STRAUSS project, will be shooting for 100Gbps fiber optic speeds -- a whopping 5,000-fold gain over current Euro data rates. It'd do so by combining new optical packet switching technology, optical transceivers and other hardware with updated controlling software. The next step will be testing it on a large scale at sites across the EU and Japan. That project, along with five others aimed at boosting terrestrial and wireless bandwidth security and capacity, will receive €18 million in funding over the next several years. The EU commission estimates that traffic will increase 12-fold in the next five years, so if you don't want any more internet lag than you already have, you may want to wish them Godspeed.

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Source: European Commission

Bell Labs doubles beams in fiber optic lines to reach 400Gbps on a global scale

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Bell Labs doubles light in fiber optic lines to reach greater distances

It's comparatively easy to run fiber optic lines at high speeds; it's another matter to sustain that pace between continents. Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs has found a way to go that extreme distance by relying on the basic concept behind noise-cancelling headphones. When the researchers send data across two light beams in opposing phases, they can superimpose the signals and neutralize the distortion that would normally occur at long ranges. Such clean output lets Bell Labs ramp up the signal strength and maintain high speeds across whole oceans: its test pushed 400Gbps through 7,954 miles of fiber. There's no word on how soon we'll see twin-light technique put into practice, although we suspect that a networking giant like Alcatel-Lucent wants the extra bandwidth as quickly as possible.

[Image credit: JL Hopgood, Flickr]

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Via: BBC News, The Verge

Source: Nature Photonics

Google paying $1 to run Provo fiber, must build it out within five years

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Google Fiber deal sees Provo sell its network for $1, but Google pays for upgrades

While it's well-established that Google Fiber's expansion into Provo, Utah hinges on Google buying the city's existing iProvo network, we didn't immediately learn what it took to land the tentative deal. Newly available details of the agreement reveal that the up-front cost is largely in the visitor's favor -- it's the long-term development that rewards the locals. Google only pays $1 to buy the local fiber network, but it has five years to finish upgrades and deployments that could ultimately cost $30 million, according to the Deputy Mayor's estimates. About the only remaining costs for Provo are its already existing (if significant) development loans, and the city can always buy the network back for $1 if things go sour. The pact also leaves the door open to public WiFi, although there are no guarantees that Google will mirror its New York City efforts anytime soon. When the search giant has a very healthy bank balance, we doubt there will be much quibbling over the exact terms; just know that the arrangement isn't strictly one-sided.

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Source: AP