ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

NSA fiber-optic tapping

So, the NSA is a group of people who work for the government and they want to be able to see what other people are saying to each other. They do this by using something called fiber-optic tapping.

Fiber-optic cables are like big tubes that carry information through little beams of light. It's kind of like how you can send a secret message to your friend by holding up a flashlight and blinking it in a certain pattern.

The NSA can tap into these fiber-optic cables and look at the beams of light to see what people are saying to each other. It's like they're sneaking a peek at your secret message by looking at your flashlight.

Now, this might sound kind of sneaky and not very nice, but the NSA says they only do this to try and keep people safe. They're looking for bad guys who might be planning to do something bad to other people.

So there you have it, fiber-optic tapping is when the NSA sneaks a peek at the light beams in a fiber-optic cable to see what people are saying to each other, all in the name of keeping everyone safe.