Re the Phiber Optik case. I understand that only vanilla, split-band modems (1200, 2400 baud) were tapped, on the analog loop. They were, and still are, common in the mundane telco world. Throw a bandpass filter on the upper half of the audio band, get the answer data. Throw a filter on the lower half, get the originate data. Much MUCH easier than tapping modern full-duplex full-band modems with echo cancellation and compression. I know some of the datacops involved, and I seriously doubt they have a clue about how to handle V.32 without help from the NSA, which DOES know how to intercept them. Of course, even if the modems had NSA-proof encryption built in, the victim could always intercept the decrypted data on the DTE connector... cracking is and will remain a risky and stupid thing to do...