Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Security Infrastructure

Facebook Halts Project for Undersea Data Cable to Hong Kong

Facebook has decided to halt its efforts to build a trans-Pacific undersea cable that would have connected California and Hong Kong, due to tensions between the United States and China.

Facebook has decided to halt its efforts to build a trans-Pacific undersea cable that would have connected California and Hong Kong, due to tensions between the United States and China.

“Due to ongoing concerns from the US government about direct communication links between the United States and Hong Kong, we have decided to withdraw our FCC application,” a Facebook spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday, referring to the Federal Communications Commission.

“We look forward to working with all the parties to reconfigure the system to meet the concerns of the US government,” the spokesperson added.

The social networking giant and several telecom companies filed their first construction permit in 2018, to connect two sites in California to Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The project was supposed to facilitate communications through fiber optics capable of carrying large volumes of data with very low waiting times.

But Washington resisted, because of perceived potential national security risks regarding China, which has tightened its control over Hong Kong.

In June, the US Department of Justice recommended that a trans-Pacific undersea cable proposed by Google and Facebook bypass Hong Kong.

The cable, named the Pacific Light Cable Network, was originally intended to link the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The Hong Kong landing station “would expose US communications traffic to collection” by Beijing, the department said.

The FCC gave Google permission in April 2020 to operate the link between North America and Taiwan.

Written By

AFP 2023

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join the session as we discuss the challenges and best practices for cybersecurity leaders managing cloud identities.

Register

SecurityWeek’s Ransomware Resilience and Recovery Summit helps businesses to plan, prepare, and recover from a ransomware incident.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Malware & Threats

The NSA and FBI warn that a Chinese state-sponsored APT called BlackTech is hacking into network edge devices and using firmware implants to silently...

Security Infrastructure

Security vendor consolidation is picking up steam with good reason. Everyone wants to improve security efficiency and effectiveness while paying for less.

Management & Strategy

Hundreds of companies are showcasing their products and services this week at the 2023 edition of the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Cloud Security

The term ‘zero trust’ is now used so much and so widely that it has almost lost its meaning.

Security Infrastructure

Instead of deploying new point products, CISOs should consider sourcing technologies from vendors that develop products designed to work together as part of a...

Security Infrastructure

Comcast jumps into the enterprise cybersecurity business, betting that its internal security tools and inventions can find traction in an expanding marketplace.

Audits

The PCI Security Standards Council (SSC), the organization that oversees the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), this week announced the release...

Security Infrastructure

XDR's fully loaded value to threat detection, investigation and response will only be realized when it is viewed as an architecture