Is information warfare to blame for the damage to underwater internet cables that has interrupted internet service to millions of people in India and Egypt, or is it just a series of accidents? When two cables in the Mediterranean were severed last week, it was put down to a mishap with a stray anchor. Now a third cable has been cut, this time near Dubai. That, along with new evidence that ships’ anchors are not to blame, has sparked theories about more sinister forces that could be at work. When two cables were cut off the Egyptian port city of Alexandria last week, about a 100 million internet users were affected, mainly in India and Egypt.

The cables remain broken and internet services are still compromised. It was assumed a ship’s anchor severed the cables, but now that is in doubt and the conspiracy theories are coming out. Egypt’s Transport Ministry says video surveillance shows no ships were in the area at the time of the incident.
Online columnist Ian Brockwell says the cables may have been cut deliberately in an attempt by the US and Israel to deprive Iran of internet access. Others back up that theory, saying the Pentagon has a secret strategy called ‘information warfare’. But Mr Budde says it is far more likely to be a coincidence. “It is absolutely strange, of course, that that happens. At the moment it really looks like bad luck rather than anything else,” he said.

Three cables severed in less than a week? Hmmmmm. Update: Now there are reports of a fourth cable severed.

“Iran is back online, but… its traffic is now passing through the UK and the US, the latter controlling the 13 primary routers. Can you say wiretap?” queries another.

thanks to Eric for update