The X-Files Season 11: 10 Things We Learned From 'This'
2. Snowden Has Given Chris Carter And Co. A Wealth Of Inspiration
The secret program under which the computer simulation housing Langly (and a host of others) in This is named Titanpointe in the episode, and maintained by the NSA. The building in which it is housed is the Long Lines building in Manhattan. In the episode, the facility is accessed via a field office of the FBI. NSA agents do not wear any identification when accessing the building. It's all very hush-hush. Great conspiracy fiction.
Only, it's not fiction. The Long Lines building exists, and out of it ran an NSA surveillance program code named Titanpointe. Under the program, the NSA (illegally) listened in on international calls, as the building housed a major international exchange in the PTSN (public switched telephone network). In short, international calls were routed through there. NSA employees, just like on The X-Files, did not carry identification when accessing the building.
The real-life program was exposed by a report in The Intercept, and a short documentary titled Project X. Both relied on information disclosed by Edward Snowden.
This is not the first time the newly relaunched X-Files has name-checked the NSA; they did address the agency's illicit surveillance program in season ten. However, the attention to detail in This is a welcome sight, and there could very well be more to come.