Hidden by top secret codenames are: BT ("Remedy"), Verizon Business ("Dacron"), and Vodafone Cable ("Gerontic").
The other firms include Global Crossing ("Pinnage"), Level 3 ("Little"), Viatel ("Vitreous") and Interoute ("Streetcar").
Thanks to Edward Snowden it was already known that all phone and internet data which travel through the UK are intercepted and stored for 30 days. New is that this Friday Germany's Süddeutsche newspaper revealed the names of the commercial companies working secretly with UK's equivalent of the NSA, the GCHQ.
The news paper claims to have seen a powerpoint slide discussing the secret "Tempora" program with the real names of the companies. In all other communication they are referred by code names (even within the top secret documents) as the Brits are aware this could ruin trust in these companies. As one document says it could cause '"high-level political fallout".
Earlier it was revealed that the British eavesdrop agency gets $100 million per year in exchange for services rendered to the NSA. Combine this with the central position of the UK in all telecommunications worldwide and you know that the Americans and the Brits have access to a large amount of the data of the major telecom providers wherever you live.
Whatever you do it chances are high it will travel through underseas cables and be intercepted by the Brits: reason to change provider?
I admit these guys don't look very British, but you need something to illustrate these abstract operations
You know it saddens me to admit that Britain has always had a history of expedience over principle – up to a certain point. Until that point is reached it's expediency all the way.
The Neurosis developing in the U.S.A with the help of the $, invades the minds of the British Government. I am sure that the present coalition carries the same as the past government regarding the U.S. " Yes mr President, what was the question "…………." All I heard was the sound of your $´s "………
This form of Neurosis, should stay within the U.S.
It gets more interesting.
The D-Alix connection shows up on no global map searches.
It connects US to Africa via good old Tenerife and the only reason I know is that the cable was dropped into the motorways infrastructure here.
Now I'm not suggesting for a moment that any telephony traffic is routed via Tenerife (which conveniently sits outside the EU) but the size of the data centre that has been built is humongous.
http://www.d-alix.com/
Oh, I found a nice interactive map also:
http://www.submarinecablemap.com/
Alix notably missing
For those of you who think that your ISP is safe because it's not mentioned in the OP, bear in mind that a couple of those businesses are backbone providers, so it's fairly likely that your data goes through their fibres after it leaves your ISP.
According to this wiki article not even BT and Vodafone aretier 1 providers +Lionel Lauer Is there a better list available?
+Max Huijgen Global Crossing & Level 3 are both (still, I assume) Tier 1 providers. ETA: Yes, they still are.
Here's the official list of Tier 1 Providers. You should assume that the US Gov't has full access to all of them:
http://drpeering.net/FAQ/Who-are-the-Tier-1-ISPs.php
Basically, any packets that leave or enter your country should be assumed to be easily accessible to the US government.
Thanks for the update +Lionel Lauer
I don't know if everything is accessible to the US gov. Not all traffic goes through the US or the UK. So far we haven't seen revelations about Germany or Spain's cooperation with the NSA.
+Max Huijgen The US-led "Five Eyes" program is a data-sharing agreement between the US, Canada, the UK, Australia & New Zealand, so anything that is accessible to one is likely accessible to all, & definitely to the USA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes
It seems safe to assume that any comms systems that terminate in, or transit any of those countries, or are owned by US corporations are accessible to the NSA, at the very least.
Then of course you have China, et al.
BTW: there was a story about a data center in Germany being tapped. Will see if I can find it.
edit: Germany Cooperates Closely With NSA
Snowden told SPIEGEL that the BND knew more about the activities of the NSA in Germany than previously known. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/spiegel-reveals-cooperation-between-nsa-and-german-bnd-a-909954.html
+Max Huijgen Gosh, imagine that.
Snowden stresses the UK in an interview with Der Spiegel:
If you send a single ICMP packet 5 and it routes through the UK, we get it. If you download something and the CDN (Content Delivery Network) happens to serve from the UK, we get it. If your sick daughter's medical records get processed at a London call center … well, you get the idea.
Interviewer: Is there a way of circumventing that?
Snowden: As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under any circumstances. Their fibers are radioactive, and even the Queen's selfies to the pool boy get logged.
More eye-opening reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NSA_leaks