US intelligence agencies are getting custom-built, heavily secured data centers from Amazon, a troubling development for anyone worried about domestic surveillance.

• Amazon builds the facilities, then hands control to the CIA once construction reaches a certain point.
• Security inside runs to eight layers, including eye scans and biometric checks that even the president would have to clear.
• Some of these data centers sit hidden inside ordinary government buildings, such as Veterans Affairs offices.
• The stated purpose of the buildout is monitoring American citizens.

Outlook: Expect more of this infrastructure to go up quietly, with little public accounting of what it collects.