PROTECTING UNDERSEA INTERNET CABLES IS A TECH NIGHTMARE

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

A lot of the global communications and financial system hinges on a few hundred cables of bundled glass fibers strung across ocean floors around the world, each about the same diameter as a garden hose. Defending these undersea fiber-optic cables from damage and sabotage is increasingly challenging. While there are plans to create future internet backup routes through satellites, the technology is still only in a preliminary proof-of-concept stage and may be many years away from being deployed. It is currently not possible to monitor all 1.5 million kilometers of communication cables in the water, but new technologies are emerging that will make it easier to monitor activity where damage is most likely to occur and potentially prevent disruptions.