story
It's very much still happening. Metadata is enough for intel purposes, storage is ridiculously cheap and post-quantum breaks of key exchange is forever 20 years away like fusion.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/world/europe/russian-pres...
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/th...
https://www.zdnet.com/article/spy-agency-taps-into-undersea-...