ABC News
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
Information warfare? Could be … Why would someone want to cut off the Mid-East from the Internet? Let the paranoia begin!
Nonsense. It’s a the beginnings of a lobster revolution.
If the same thing were to happen to three important trunks in the US and Europe, they’d be screaming bloody cyberterrorism and making plans for world war 3.
#3 – Our politician don’t understand how the internetwebtubes work.
When I heard a 3rd cable was cut, now that HAS to be investigated. Maybe it was Loyal Americans upset of all the job outsourcing that has cut India’s bandwidth more than half…
When something wrong in the world goes on, why is it assumed that it’s the United States’ fault? Geez, I can’t wait for January 20. Maybe the world will start liking us again…
“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.”
Brockwell sounds like a truther.
How about a more logical concept? The cables may have been cut deliberately by the Iranian government to continue their desire to keep their citizens in the dark about reality.
Obviously a deliberate act. Now there are reports of a fourth cable being cut.
Sounds like whoever is doing this is using a submarine. That still leaves a lot of countries as suspects, and it’ll be pretty damned hard to stop it if they persist in cutting cables.
Yeah, I’d say this can’t possibly be a coincidence, and I’m far from a conspiracy theory type of guy.
That said, the reason I’m posting is because the graphic on this story (the two cats) is absolutely fantastic. Where’d that come from?
Time to vote McCain.
Some of the conspiracy theories are batpoo crazy, but this one seems to have legs.
[Please use tinyurl for long url- ed.]
Angus, I hate to tell you this, but people thought that all the world’s ills were the US’s fault before Bush too…
#6 That actually sounds like a more likely scenario, we aren’t the ones wanting to keep these people living like 3rd world peasants out of the 16th century. The more exposed they are to outside influence via the net the better.
I don’t know if I would say it was Iran, but wouldn’t put it past the Taliban or some other such group wishing to impose their sharia law on everyone else.
Hmmmmm, sorry for the double post… but….
Do you think this could have anything to do with U2’s manager’s recent statement concerning cutting off internet access to pirates?
Does Bono scuba dive?
Yeah, vote for McCain, the strongest Democrat in the race. The other Democrats have too much lunatic fringe luggage.
If the US has the ability to put people and taps on the underwater cables, why shut them down? Now, if someone found these facilities and was removing them, that would “cut” the cables.
The Moslems sabatoging their own internet connections? Could be, considering the Imams, or whatever their priests are called, only stay in power by controlling what their suckers allowed to learn. In addition, the religion has this martyr idea; they’d injure Moslems in order to make it look like the jooooos were picking on them again. Boo-hoo.
It’s sort of a blessing in disguise. It is hurting those that rely on the internet there but it may also help companies in the USA realize that it is more dependable to hire American workers instead of outsourcing to to India.
As your President, I can assure you that the technology just doesn’t exist in the U.S. military to find and mess with an undersea cable. Why you would need a deep sea submarine and equipment and…….
Oh…
Pardon me, one of my advisor’s is telling me that the technology may exist after all.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivy_Bells
Seriously, as jbenson2 and ren mention, the U.S. Government benefits from information spread the internet provides. I just don’t see the military or policy motive for this.
” The plot of Richard Clark’s Breakpoint (2007) is an Internet intrigue in which the scheme is to disrupt ‘the world’s digital nervous system.’ “
Hey side note, but I really have to question the policy of the comments section on long urls. I understand that it is distracting and perhaps annoying to have them, but, anyone who has been on the net for more than ten seconds knows you don’t click on a link if you don’t know where its going. Tiny Url is just a bad idea in my opinion.
Case in point, I have been redirected to several White Snake and Poison videos on youtube by clicking on what I assumed was a safe link.
Ren, that’s why I hardly ever click on them. However:
http://tinyurl.com/preview.php
16,
Hmmm.
HOW to tap a fiber OPTIC cable??
Its not copper, and there is no residual feedback, to tap.
Hmmm.
MAYBE we can cut and SPLICE our own connection??
But HOw to make it look as an accident?
1 Main line breaking…Interesting
2 Main lines breaking.. Questionable
3 Main lines ………. WHAT DID IT..
4??……………….. WHO did it..
#14, Philleep,
The Moslems sabatoging [sic] their own internet connections? Could be, considering the Imams, or whatever their priests are called, only stay in power by controlling what their suckers allowed to learn. In addition, the religion has this martyr idea; they’d injure Moslems in order to make it look like the jooooos were picking on them again. Boo-hoo.
Geeze, you don’t even know what an imam is, yet you are ready to pass judgment upon a billion Muslims. Please, elaborate upon this “martyr” claim of yours.
Still running true to form.
My question, why do they rely on underwater cables for internet access. That’s like running an electrical car with an extension cord.
Maybe the dolphins and whales are finally fighting back.
The Iranians do have some old Soviet subs these days. And they have never cottoned to Western ideals of freedom of information or freedom of speech. Can you think of a better way to cut off (supposedly) evil western influence than to create a closed Muslim-only internet?
It could, as a side benefit, hinder Pentagon hackers from snooping around in Iranian computer systems of, say, Iranian nuclear power facilities. Just a thought.
#22, johnpthurman;
How do you suppose information from servers outside of North/South America reaches us?
C’mon guys, if the Iranians were going to cut they’re own cables, they’d do it publicly and have CNN there. Ask yourself who has anything to gain from this and the technology to pull it off and I’m afraid the list is really short. What’s more such a thing is obvious, so perhaps the responsible parties are trying to intimidate as well as intercept communications. Personally I think a direct approach would be more favorable, perhaps those responsible are concerned about a negative domestic political impact. N.B. I accuse no one in this message.
#22..
Its FIBER OPTIC…
there IS NO POWER running through it..
Even the OLD COPPER was run underwater…WITH ALOT of insulation and protection.
#26
There are Many different groups..
There are many Different Gov groups.
There are many religious groups..
ON THEIR SIDE, AND ours, and EVEN other nations.
THEY all have their OWN agenda.
the problem HERE folks..is HOW…not WHO..did 3-4 cable, BREAK..
Once we find that out, WE MAY, know who did it.
I cant wait to see that the USA was testing a NEW anti SUB device and it broke the cables.
I would LOVE it if they found that the CONTRACTOR that laid the cable, didnt do a Good job.
I cant wait to find Jihadests, that were DROPPED in TUBS, STILL on the bottom.
I cant WAIT to find out, IM WRONG..
If a conspiracy theorist says it, does that mean it can’t be true?
Considering what I know about history, and what I believe our current administration is doing behind our backs already I wouldn’t put it past them to be responsible. It makes perfect sense that they’d force middle eastern traffic to route through “allied” controlled routers that could monitor all of the traffic. They’d also benefit from a blackout in various countries given the heavy use of public internet resources for secret transmissions between terrorist cells. For all we know, the blackout could have been cover for some CIA mission in Iran.
I have doubts that any middle eastern governments or terrorist organizations would cut the internet access off to that region. It ultimately hurts them more than us. If they wanted to restrict access I’d think they’d be more inclined to something akin to the “Great Firewall of China” approach or at the very least imprison local internet providers for those providing unfiltered access to non-government users.
Perhaps it is simply an underwater cable repair firm drumming up some business in the new year. You know, like the windshield repair company that scatters pebbles on the highway.
It’s actually NINE cables cut now.
Just a coincidence, though. Nothing to worry about.
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message500423/pg1