FORTALEZA (BDCi) – In an attempt to escape the reach of the U.S. National Security Agency, Brazil is building a cable across the Atlantic Ocean, as the country continues to find ways to break ties with American technology companies.
A 3,500-mile fiber optic cable will begin in Fortaleza and end in Portugal, with an estimated cost of $185 million.
Last year, Edward Snowden leaked documents showing that the NSA was accessing the personal data of Brazilian citizens and listening in on the phone calls of President Dilma Rousseff, as well as those of Brazil’s embassies.
Brazil has switched its e-mail system from Microsoft’s Outlook to the state-developed Expresso and all government agencies are now required to use state-owned companies for technology services.
Brazil is the seventh largest economy in the globe and U.S. companies could lose up to $35 billion in revenue over the next two years.
Construction on the cable has been set for early 2015.