# US assessment flags Pacific cables backed by Google and Meta as vulnerable to sabotage

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/chinas-snooping-around-pacific-undersea-cables-raises-risks-for-big-tech/
- Published: 2026-10-28T11:00:49+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T11:33:08+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/google-and-meta-subsea-cables-among-most-at-risk-from-sabotage-in-pacific/
- Topics: Asia, World

## Key points

- Google, Meta and Verizon-backed cables rank among the Pacific’s most exposed.
- The highest assessed risks are near Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.
- Multiple cable failures could strain capacity and disrupt regional services.

## Summary

A US government commission’s new assessment identifies several planned trans-Pacific cables backed by Google, Meta and Verizon among those most exposed to possible sabotage. The findings matter because the cables carry internet traffic between the United States and the Indo-Pacific, and disruption could affect cloud services, communications and financial trading.

The index ranks risk using factors including cable depth, shipping traffic, ownership and proximity to China’s claims, with the highest risks around Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines. Three projects, Google’s TPU, Meta’s ORCA and the jointly owned E2A, scored in the top five; the report warns that damage to one cable could push traffic onto slower routes, while several failures could strain capacity across the region. Most cable damage is accidental, but researchers have raised concern about possible “grey-zone” activity amid reports of Chinese research vessels surveying seabed infrastructure.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.