Undersea Cables: Lifelines and Vulnerabilities

Countries considered hostile to the West are threatening to cut under sea cables, which carry 95 percent of the world’s data.

China, Iran and Russia are suspected of threatening to sabotage cables, carrying 95% of the world’s data, which makes the network vital to the global economy.

Russell Padmore examines how the lines laid on ocean floors are the backbone of the internet, so they need to be protected, but international military cooperation is limited.

Produced and presented by Russell Padmore

(Image: An undersea cable between Helsinki and Rostock which was laid in 2015. Credit: Getty Images)