alt Hacker NewsNo need for a clearance, merely explain that
1. fibre-optic traffic is a beam of light
2. this beam can be passed through a glass prism…
3. the prism splits off say 20% of the light by intensity
4. this 20% is identical to the 80%
5. both the 20% and 80% component are 'bright' enough to be used
6. the 80% continues on its merry way, the 20% is redirected for 'other' uses.
That is simplifying it to the point of a lab experiment. It’s a bit more complicated but yes, you can split light and route that light anywhere you want.