Edward Snowden's revelations and the explosion of the "spygate" scandal triggered very high-level diplomatic conflicts, and one of the most resonant in the media involved the United States and Brazil. However, the Latin American country didn't stay tangled in accusations and protests; instead, it announced the installation of a submarine cable that will link Fortaleza with Lisbon. The question is whether, after all this time, it still makes sense to go ahead with the project.
The project
A Mylar casing as the main protection, and an initial polyethylene layer to protect it from anchors and the occasional bite that a shark might give. Internal steel cables help withstand water pressure and add the strength needed to keep it from breaking while being placed on the seabed. An aluminum barrier and a polycarbonate shield represent one more barrier against pressure, and any remaining moist air trapped. Finally, a metal tube in the center serves as a home for the optical fibers, protected with a plastic covering and a water-insoluble gel. This combination of strength, resistance, flexibility, and protection shapes the submarine cable that Telebrás, the Brazilian state telecommunications company, and the Spanish IslaLink will install to connect the cities of Fortaleza and Lisbon.
It's more than 5,500 kilometers of submarine cable announced during one of the peak points of the conflict between the United States and Brazil, caused by the NSA's cyberspying programs and its allied agencies. The idea is not only to establish a secure link between Latin America and Europe (no American company is involved in the project), but a more economical one. Its estimated cost is $185 million, and if all goes well, it should become operational next year. Diplomatic tensions may have eased, but the cable is one of many other projects with an "anti-NSA" essence that could cause more than $35 billion in losses to American companies during 2016.
Will it keep the NSA at bay?
Now, the $185 million question: Will it serve to keep espionage at bay? Honestly, the most likely thing is that it won't. All the NSA has to do is tap the ends of the cable (or rather, the companies that manage it), and the rest is history. Another aspect that hasn't been discussed much is cost. Google plans to install a cable from Fortaleza to Boca Raton in Florida (5,500 kilometers in a straight line), and its price will be just $60 million. Everything seems to indicate that it's cheaper to send data to Europe through the United States, and this is reflected in the cost of infrastructure. We'll soon know if the installation of the new cable was worth it.
