Even in skyscraper-filled lower Manhattan, the windowless mass of 33 Thomas Street stands out: A faceless concrete tower, topped with vents and impervious to the outside world.
Constructed and owned by AT&T, and known as the ‘Long Lines Building,’ it’s officially a telecommunications hub with its own power and water, capable of sheltering those inside against two weeks of nuclear fallout.
But documents leaked by Edward Snowden, along with others gathered by The Intercept, suggest that it has a worrying secret identity: An NSA surveillance base named Titanpointe that spies on phone calls, fax messages and internet data.