Afraid Of China Intercepting Internet Data, Biden Allows Google And Meta To Use US Submarine Cable Network

About 300 submarine cables have formed the backbone of the world's internet and carry 99% of the world's data traffic. (photo: doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA – The administration of US President Joe Biden on Friday, December 17 recommended that Alphabet's Google and Facebook parent Meta Platform Inc. obtain permission to use an undersea cable system to handle the increasing internet traffic between the US and Asia.

The administration is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a license for companies to send and receive data on their existing 8.000-mile Pacific Light Cable Network. The underwater fiber optic cable system connects the United States, Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong.

Underwater cables transmit almost all of the world's internet data traffic. Meta requested permission to use the Philippines-to-United States portion, while Google had requested permission to connect to Taiwan.

The two companies are committed to protecting the privacy and security of American data, especially against Chinese intelligence operations.

Google and Meta previously planned to use a network cable to Hong Kong, which is controlled by Beijing. However, the proposal was eventually cancelled. Several US government agencies have recommended blocking the plan by 2020.

Reported by Reuters, the Justice Department said national security agreements with Google and Meta were necessary in light of China's "continued efforts to obtain sensitive personal data of millions of Americans."

In response to this Reuters report, the Chinese Embassy in Washington and Google did not immediately comment when asked for a response.

Google said in 2020 that they needed a data connection to handle the increased traffic between its data centers in Taiwan and the United States.

A Meta spokesperson said the "cable system is increasing internet capacity" between the United States and the Philippines "to help people stay connected and share content." “The cable is secure and data is protected through state-of-the-art encryption,” the source said.

Under the agreement, Google and Meta, must carry out an annual risk assessment of sensitive data. They must also be able to limit or stop data traffic over the cable within 24 hours.

About 300 submarine cables have formed the backbone of the world's internet and carry 99% of the world's data traffic.