Standing tall and enigmatic in the center of Lower Manhattan is an odd 29-story skyscraper that is devoid of windows. It is situated at 33 Thomas Street and goes by the code name Titanpointe. For years, this building has puzzled New Yorkers.1.
Promotion
When the building was first completed in 1974, it was meant to contain essential telecommunications equipment and was built to resist atomic bombs. The architectural company John Carl Warnecke & Associates envisioned it as a communication nerve center that was protected from nuclear threats.
Unlike any other building in the area, this massive gray concrete and granite tower soars 550 feet into the New York skyline. It is completely dark and lacks windows, in contrast to the nearby office and residential buildings. It has an unsettling aura at night, while during the day it creates a massive shadow. Its square vents give off a subtle hum, which is frequently muffled by the sounds of the city.
For many years, New Yorkers have been fascinated with 33 Thomas Street, popularly known as the “Long Lines Building,” since it is one of the most unusual and recognizable skyscrapers in the city. However, the real function of this mysterious building has remained mostly unknown and covered up.
33 Thomas Street’s Secret
33 Thomas Street is a mysterious building with a darker side. It seems that this structure serves as more than just a communications center. Architectural drawings, information from documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, and interviews with former AT&T workers all point to 33 Thomas Street being an NSA monitoring location known as Titanpointe.
There is more to the NSA’s role than meets the eye. A significant international gateway switch that routes phone calls between the United States and other nations is located inside the structure. It is thought that these calls were intercepted by the NSA from a safe location inside the AT&T headquarters. This clandestine monitoring scheme has targeted several nations, including friends of the United States, in addition to global institutions including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations.
Although AT&T has collaborated with the NSA on monitoring, not much is known about the precise function that locations such as 33 Thomas Street play in executing top-secret initiatives. On the other hand, the Snowden documents include hitherto unseen details on the integration of NSA hardware into AT&T’s New York City network. This integration makes clear the tools and techniques the agency uses to extract communications data from the business’s systems.
The NSA’s location inside this famous skyscraper begs the question of where the lines are drawn in terms of contemporary surveillance. “This is yet more proof that our communications service providers have become, whether willingly or unwillingly, an arm of the surveillance state,” notes Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s liberty and national security program. The idea that this kind of surveillance can be cleanly limited to non-American targets is called into question by the NSA’s extensive integration with the country’s communications infrastructure.
T&T, Security, and Law Enforcement
It is commonly known that AT&T and the NSA worked closely together. Although AT&T and the government have a long history together, it’s unknown if the NSA was utilizing AT&T’s 33 Thomas Street facility or equipment. This uncertainty prompts concerns about the scope of government monitoring inside the structure.2.
In August 2015, the New York Times and ProPublica revealed that AT&T had been praised by the NSA for its “extreme willingness to help” and had a long history of working with the agency. But neither the fresh reports nor the information leaked by Edward Snowden conclusively indicate that AT&T space or equipment was being used by the NSA. As it happens, Verizon owns the remaining portion of the 33 Thomas building, with AT&T Inc. owning the ground but only around 87 percent of the floor area.
There are important ethical and legal concerns about the NSA’s surveillance activities at 33 Thomas Street. The structure might serve as a memorial to the difficulties in maintaining proper supervision in an age of cutting-edge technology and government monitoring, as well as the delicate balance that needs to be struck between privacy and security in our globalized society.
In conclusion, 33 Thomas Street is still a famous and mysterious tower in New York City, encapsulating the secrets of contemporary monitoring as well as the history of telecommunications within its concrete walls. Its actual level of participation in government eavesdropping may never be known, but it represents the fine line that must be drawn in our connected world between security and privacy.
Johnny Depp’s New Woman Will Leave You Speechless – See Who She Is Now!
According to rumors, actor Johnny Depp is dating someone familiar. Read on to learn more about the new woman in his life!
In recent years, Johnny Depp has been in the spotlight for his legal battles. He gained international attention when he sued Amber Heard for defamation, seeking $50 million.
This lawsuit was over an opinion piece Heard wrote in March 2019 for the Washington Post, where she talked about her experience as a victim of domestic abuse.
Even though Depp won the defamation lawsuit, the jury also found him responsible for statements made by his lawyer, Adam Waldman, who called Heard’s claims a “hoax.”
Heard was awarded $2 million by the same jury and has stayed out of the spotlight for the past two years. She appealed in December 2022 but settled the case out of court, stating, “I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.”
She did not participate in the press tour for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which she starred in in 2023.
Depp also took a break from the public eye before attending the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where he received a seven-minute standing ovation for his movie Jeanne Du Barry.
There were rumors he was romantically involved with attorney Joelle Rich, who represented him in the U.K. libel case against Heard, but this relationship was never confirmed.
A source close to Heard said she is doing well, focusing on motherhood and her daughter. She is happy and comfortable in Spain, feeling settled and ready to move on with her life without any drama related to Johnny or the trial.
As for Depp, the same source says he’s doing great. He feels vindicated and is “very happy to move on with his life.” He appreciates his true fans and is focusing on his career and future.
Actor Johnny Depp, 61, is reportedly dating again. He’s been linked to a 28-year-old who might look familiar to some. However, it seems they’re not “official” yet.
Depp’s newest romantic interest is 28-year-old model Yulia Vlasova. A source says the actor is “casually seeing Yulia Vlasova.”
The source also mentioned that they have known each other for a few years and see each other whenever they can.
Although the couple was photographed together, it’s unclear how they initially got together.
Two years after his defamation trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp is having a casual relationship with a young Russian model.
The dispute stemmed from Depp’s charges of defamation about Heard’s bogus allegations of abuse.
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