[swombat]

I agree with your response on the whole, but one point is worth quibbling with:

> I got the news. They approach Google AND they plug into private lines. The latter case is what I referred to when I mentioned "backbone" providers.

As far as I understand, these were not lines provided by "backbone providers". These were private lines laid and paid for and owned by Google. There was no third party who bent - Google got pwned directly, in secret, with impunity.