I'm aware that it has happened, my issue is claiming that it happens regularly. Operation Ivy Bells took place in the 70s. Was it a fiber cable? There are no other examples between then and now?
You want someone to give you examples of ongoing realtime intelligence collection programs? How about some missile launce codes and the iff setting for NATO aircraft? Any responce to such requests would be either illegal or a lie.
Your understanding is flawed, because people with relevant knowledge are pointing out truth and you’re asking for more and more.
You are not trying to find truth, you’re trying to argue.
Yes, people can claim stuff that they know and nobody else can prove. Not every idea requires a double blind study with a large sample size. Sometimes you take things and assign probability values. “This guy sounded like he knew what he was talking about”
Sometimes that’s all you ever get. You should be thankful you got a peek behind the curtain at how the real world works.