President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil plans to connect to Europe via an undersea communications cable in order to avoid relying on the United States, in the wake of revelations the country spied in Brazilian leaders.
The project agreed to Monday will cost $185 million, Reuters reports, and it stems from reports of U.S. snooping on allied world leaders. Last fall, Rousseff postponed a trip to Washington after leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that her cell phone, email and those of some of her allies had been tapped.
Rousseff and European leaders agreed on the plans at the annual European Union-Brazil summit in Brussels on Monday. Currently, almost all of Brazil’s communications to Europe travel along U.S. undersea cables. Brazil is seeking to link with a telecommunications company in Spain called IslaLink Submarine Cables.
[Reuters]