US wants to let Google, Facebook parent Meta use Pacific undersea data cable to Asia
- Biden administration backs access to undersea fibre-optic cable system connecting the US, Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong
- Google and Meta have pledged to protect the privacy and security of Americans’ data, particularly against Chinese intelligence operations
The Biden administration urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant licences for the companies to send and receive data on the existing 8,000-mile (12,875km) Pacific Light Cable Network. The undersea fibre-optic cable system connects the United States, Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Undersea cables transmit nearly all the world’s internet data traffic. Meta has sought permission to use the Philippines-to-US portion, while Google has asked for permission to connect to Taiwan.
The companies committed to protect the privacy and security of Americans’ data, particularly against Chinese intelligence operations.
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The US Justice Department said national security agreements with Google and Meta were needed, given China’s “sustained efforts to acquire the sensitive personal data of millions of US persons”.
The Chinese embassy in Washington and Google did not immediately comment.
Google has said that it needs the data connections to handle growing traffic between its data centres in Taiwan and the United States.
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Meta said the “cable system increases internet capacity” between the US and Philippines “to help people stay connected and share content”. The cables are secure and data is protected through advanced encryption, it said.
Under the agreements, Google and Meta must conduct annual assessments of risk to sensitive data, and they have to be able to restrict or stop data traffic on the cables within 24 hours.
Around 300 subsea cables form the backbone of the internet, carrying 99 per cent of the world’s data traffic.
