Kristina Roberts
In the United States, three important lawmakers have written a serious letter to the CEOs of some of the biggest technology companies—Meta (which owns Facebook), Alphabet (which owns Google), Amazon, and Microsoft. The reason? A growing fear about something most people don’t see or think about: the undersea cables that carry internet data all around the world.
These cables are hidden beneath the ocean, stretching across countries and continents. They carry about 99% of all international internet traffic. Every time we watch a video, send an email, or scroll on social media, there’s a high chance that the data is passing through one of these deep-sea cables. There are more than 400 of them, and they’re like the secret highways of the internet.
The US lawmakers are worried that these underwater cables could be in danger. They fear that other countries—especially China and Russia—might be trying to damage or spy on them. These lawmakers think that some Chinese companies might be involved in maintaining or repairing the same cables that companies like Meta and Google use. That’s a big concern, because if someone can fix a cable, they might also be able to listen in on it or mess with it.
The letter was sent by three Republican lawmakers—John Moolenaar, Carlos Gimenez, and Keith Self. John Moolenaar is the head of a special group in the US House of Representatives that focuses on China. In the letter, the lawmakers said they’re checking how much foreign countries like China are trying to secretly control or harm the cables in important parts of the world.
They named a few Chinese companies in their letter, like SBSS, Huawei Marine, China Telecom, and China Unicom. They say that these companies have been helping with cable work, even in systems where Meta, Amazon, Google, or Microsoft are directly or indirectly involved. That means American internet traffic might pass through cables handled or touched by groups that the US doesn’t fully trust.
The lawmakers asked the tech companies to reply by August 8. They want to know if there have been any strange things happening during cable repairs or maintenance. These could include damaged hardware, signals being tapped, or anything that looks like someone tried to spy on or break the system.
In their words, “A growing body of evidence points to a pattern of coordinated malign activity linked to the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation targeting subsea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, Indo-Pacific, and other strategic regions.” They’re especially worried about places like the Baltic Sea and the Indo-Pacific—areas that are very important for global internet traffic.
So far, the Chinese embassy in Washington has not commented on this situation. And the four tech companies—Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft—have also not replied yet.
Brendan Carr, who works with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), also spoke up recently. He said the agency plans to make new rules. These rules would stop cables that use Chinese parts or technology from connecting to the US. The idea is to protect American internet systems from possible threats.
This isn’t the first time the US has taken steps about this issue. Since 2020, American officials have already blocked four planned undersea cables that were supposed to link the US to Hong Kong. They did this because they were worried about China being too involved in those projects.
There have also been a few real-life events that made people even more worried. For example, in November 2024, two fiber-optic undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were mysteriously cut. Authorities started investigations, thinking someone might have done it on purpose. In 2023, Taiwan said two Chinese ships had cut the only two internet cables serving the Matsu Islands. And earlier, in the Red Sea, attacks by the Houthi group may have caused damage to three undersea cables that helped deliver internet to both Europe and Asia.
All these events show that undersea cables can be targets, and once they’re damaged, it can seriously affect internet services for entire regions.
The big question now is: what are these powerful tech companies doing to keep the cables safe? And how much control do they have over who fixes or works on the cables?
The US lawmakers hope that by asking these questions, they can get clear answers and make better rules to protect the systems that keep the internet running. After all, the internet is not just for fun or sharing photos. It’s also important for government work, businesses, banks, hospitals, and emergency services.
If these cables were to be harmed or controlled by someone with bad intentions, it could affect not just one country but the entire world.
The lawmakers say they will continue checking this matter very carefully. They believe it’s their duty to keep Americans safe—not just on land, but also in the unseen world beneath the oceans where the internet quietly flows.
Now, people are waiting to see what Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft will say. Will they admit to seeing any suspicious activities? Have they found signs of someone trying to break into their systems? And most importantly, what will they do next to stop it from happening?
These are not just questions for the companies, but for all of us who use the internet every day.
