Interesting story in last weekend’s NY Times, claiming that “The era of the American Internet is ending.” The headline says that Internet Traffic Begins to Bypass the U.S.
[Actually, I think that transition began almost a decade ago with the construction of various global fibre networks.]
The article seems to be based on concerns about the US losing access to spying on foreign communications.
Internet industry executives and government officials have acknowledged that Internet traffic passing through the switching equipment of companies based in the United States has proved a distinct advantage for American intelligence agencies. In December 2005, The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency had established a program with the cooperation of American telecommunications firms that included the interception of foreign Internet communications.
Some Internet technologists and privacy advocates say those actions and other government policies may be hastening the shift in Canadian and European traffic away from the United States.
There are all sorts of irrelevant statistics in the article – read the story and you’ll see what I mean.
A question arises whether ISPs can force traffic onto routes that will avoid the US.