US lawmakers have asked the CEOs of Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft to detail the safeguards their companies have in place to protect submarine communications cables, citing increasing national security concerns.
In a letter, the lawmakers asked each company to provide by August 4 a list of all subsea cable systems in which they or their affiliates are involved, along with details of contractors authorized to conduct construction, repair, or maintenance work since 2018.
They also requested information on the physical and cybersecurity measures in place to protect the cables during such operations, and whether any signs of tampering had ever been detected. The companies were also asked to provide a follow-up briefing by August 8.
The letter was signed by Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida, who chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan, chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Representative Keith Self of Texas, who leads the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe.
Rising geopolitical concerns
The request comes amid heightened warnings from Washington about the vulnerability of the global network of over 400 undersea cables. These cables carry about 99% of international internet traffic, and officials have expressed concerns about potential threats from China and Russia.
“We are particularly concerned by the possibility that entities affiliated with the PRC, such as SBSS, Huawei Marine, China Telecom, and China Unicom, have continued to provide maintenance or servicing to cable systems in which your companies maintain direct or indirect operational involvement or ownership,” the letter said.
This comes after the Federal Communications Commission announced last week that it plans to introduce rules that will prevent companies from connecting undersea communication cables to the US if those systems include Chinese technology or equipment.
In a statement, the House Homeland Security Committee added that the letter follows reports that Microsoft is relying on engineers based in China to help maintain US Defense Department computer systems, with limited oversight from US personnel. A recent ProPublica investigation warned that the arrangement could expose sensitive national security data to cyber threats from China.
A number of recent disruptions have also heightened focus on the security of global undersea cable networks. In late 2024, two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged under suspicious circumstances, prompting investigations into potential sabotage. The previous year, Taiwan alleged that Chinese vessels were responsible for severing the main internet links to its Matsu Islands.
Meanwhile, in the Red Sea, attacks attributed to Houthi forces were believed to have caused damage to several key cables supporting data traffic between Europe and Asia.
Securing the internet backbone
Rising concerns over the security of undersea cables may force tech companies to rethink how they manage global connectivity, potentially affecting enterprise cloud costs and strategies, according to Faisal Kawoosa, founder and lead analyst at Techarc.
“To address these very valid concerns, there are two possible strategies for tech providers,” said Faisal Kawoosa, founder and lead analyst at Techarc. “Either they need to redraw the cable map of the world and route them through the waters of friendly nations that can ensure security, or implement a combination of human and technological surveillance to protect them. In reality, a combination of both might be used.”
Even if connectivity remains uninterrupted, the push for tighter security could reshape how global networks are financed and maintained.
“While I don’t see this issue harming reliability, I do expect costs to rise for this critical piece of infrastructure as submarine cable providers work to enhance security,” Kawoosa added. “Other options could include exploring satellites for connectivity, but that would again drive up costs and face inherent inefficiencies compared to wired systems.”
Source:: Network World