How would you get access to the trunks?

Not that difficult for an intelligence agency.

Aren't they mostly optic fibers now?

Can be tapped.

Also, since Internet traffic is growing at a geometric rate, the probability of anyone or any organization having the capacity to monitor and process ALL of Internet traffic should be very small and decreasing.

That's what super-computers are for (besides chaos modelling). -rkm --- Richard K. Moore - rkmoore@iol.ie - Wexford, Ireland - fax +353 53 23970