Undersea cables carry nearly all international data yet stay barely protected
Nearly all international data rides on seabed cables that stay barely protected. After repeated Baltic cuts, the EU introduced a 347 million euro subsea package and a Cable Security Toolbox on Feb 5, 2026, its largest investment yet in protecting these lines.
Nearly all international internet traffic runs through fiber optic cables lying on the seabed, and most of them sit largely unprotected. That gap between how much the world depends on these cables and how little guards them is what makes them an easy target for coercion. The Baltic Sea has shown the pattern. In November 2024 the BCS East West Interlink and the C Lion1 cable were both cut within a day, and NATO members raised suspicions of deliberate sabotage. In January a cable between Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland failed, and Sweden boarded a bulk carrier on suspicion it had dragged its anchor across the line. Brussels has started to respond. On February 5, 2026 the European Commission introduced a 347 million euro subsea infrastructure package together with a Cable Security Toolbox, its largest investment so far in protecting these lines. The consequence is direct. A handful of cut cables can slow or reroute data for entire regions, and repair crews often need weeks at sea to fix a single break.