Submarine cables carry 95% of global internet traffic, law of sea lags
Submarine cables, which are thin fibre-optic networks installed on the ocean floor, account for over 95% of internet traffic worldwide, facilitating essential data transfers for financial markets, diplomatic communications, and daily interactions. The seabed, considered a global commons, is effectively managed by private entities possessing the resources and technology to construct and operate these cable systems. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was established in a time before digital advancements, focusing primarily on territorial rights, navigation, and resource extraction. It allows for the laying of submarine cables in areas beyond national control but did not foresee the rise of these cables as privately owned digital lifelines. Consequently, today, powerful corporations wield control over these infrastructures, overshadowing state authority.
Key facts
- Submarine cables carry over 95% of global internet traffic.
- UNCLOS was negotiated in a pre-digital era.
- UNCLOS enshrines freedom to lay submarine cables across the seabed.
- Cables are increasingly controlled by powerful corporations.
- Seabed is legally a global commons but functionally governed by private actors.
- Infrastructure is invisible and rarely enters public debate.
- Cables transmit data for financial markets, diplomacy, and communication.
- Taiwan coastguard detained mainland Chinese crew after undersea cable damaged.
Entities
Institutions
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
- Taiwan Coast Guard
Locations
- Taiwan
- China