Three cables have been cut recently. Two apparently at the same time (?) and the third later on. Reports suggest that a ship's anchor may have done the damage, at least with the first two, but what about the third?

So far, I've not read anything that even mentioned the possibility of malicious actions. But I wonder ...

I wouldn't warm up to any conspiracy theories just yet. Trans-oceanic cables have a rocky history at best.

Conspiracy theories? Please.

From what I've read, this is the first time two have gone out at the same time. And now there's a third.

Well.. I was thinking of this poor guy...:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transat...elegraph_cable

And here's more wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submari...ications_cable

This is more light information and amusement than research, however.

It is way more probable that this was an accident than malicious action. The incidence of the third cable being severed, and the areas that have been affected could easily lead to "OMG! Malicious action!" ideas.

Right now I'm just glad I still have access.

I think it's a bit supicious, but that the accident possiblity is more likely.

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The joke is that the whole World Wide Net idea, its basic premise, was for a net with multiple redundancy so that it would be resistant to damaged connections. It would seem that the entire connection between India and Europe does through this one (or two) cables off Port Said.

John

The cables are relatively recent. Its winter and stormy. Ships drag their anchors in rough weather. Occam, where are you?

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Gimme a minute to read through Jay's latest observations...

Here is a Wiki piccy showing the intended position and true position of a A TransAtlantic Cable.

You can see where it's all bunched up on itself, stretched out and in one place WAY out there...

Those underwater cables take quite a beating.

Just a thought. Trawlers are also responsible for damaged cables. Not sure what fishing activity is in those area's.


Re picture in the post above. Isn't that the North Sea?

Eh..... It's somewhere with water...


Actually... Looking at it... One part that baffled me was how on the right side, it seems the cable is running all over land.

ETA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submari...ications_cable

LOL maybe it was Bill Gates, maybe he likes to try something new, rather than using cables.

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Bart Sibrel is owned by the (Buzz-Lite-Punch) right on the chops.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardwar.../0158249.shtml

We're up to 4 cables cut in a week. This is definitely a sign that either undersea cables need to be better protected, trawling and anchor dragging is a problem in the Indian Ocean (and surrounding bodies of water), a conspiracy is brewing, or we should be looking to the sky and welcoming our new apocalyptic overlords.

I'm sticking with the "Well, thats interesting. I wonder when we'll know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." stance. Mostly because if Occam were here he'd implode on the spot because whatever is going on definitely isn't simple.

It is weird. Apparently the fourth cable has isolated Quatar. CT'ists are screaming that the USA is trying to cut commo iff to Iran.

I don't particularly find that likely, however, another friend theorized that if the USA wanted to set up some kind of Monitering System, they may need to bring the system down temporarily to pull it off.

I believe the locations are actually published, it least in some cases, to help sea farers avoid snagging cables but in a perfect world and all that.

ETA? not sure what that is.

If I was Bill Gates it would be the secret all powerful keyboard. Right..... this week, all countries beginning with L.

ETA is Edit To Add

The internet broke

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Re ETA, gotcha

A fourth cable is down? It's gotta be aliens ...

I've read this on more sites than I can count, that this is a prelude to invasion. What really amuses me is the underlying premise that Iran's military relies, for some reason, on Internet communications. I guess CT's think the generals communicate with their soldiers using hotmail.

Another common theory is that this has something to do with Iran selling oil in Euros. As if cutting cables would stop that. Whatever servers are used for buying and selling oil are probably already located nearer the major customers, in Europe. And if they're not, it would be easy to move them there. Just load them on a plane, fly them to Geneva, and turn them back on. Total down time: only a few hours.

And the third theory, that this part of a US operation to place listening devices on the cables. What idiot approved the plan to do all of them at once? The whole point of spying is that you're not supposed to be so obvious about it. I would think (hope) the CIA would be sly enough to bribe an oil tanker to drop its anchor in just the right spot so that when a cable was cut, everyone would say, "oh that tanker must have done it" instead of the situation we have now, where it's very obvious something fishy is going on.

Anyway, two cable repair ships have been dispatched to the area and will be there soon enough. When they haul the lines up, it will be obvious what happened to them. I've seen lots of fiber optic cuts, and you can tell before you even tear the cable open exactly what the failure mode was. Normally, the line isn't actually cut all the way through, at least not on land. Maybe that's what happens in the water though.

How about this for a theory: there are plenty of radical groups of all religions that don't like the internet for a variety of reasons. What if one of them found a way to take a speed boat out to the GPS coordinates of a cable and somehow grapple it and haul it to the surface? They could cut it with a hack saw and be gone before anyone noticed. And the religious motivation is fairly strong.

My thoughts exactly. There is no real motivator that makes sense.
And what motives might exist wouldn't explain chopping up cables.

I admit that I don't know a lot about the new fiber optic cables.

But the older ones... Pretty heavy. And at the lengths of cable we are talking here?
Some guy in a boat with a hacksaw may not be able to haul it up to begin with.

It seems like too much for coincidence. But nothing else makes any sense either. So I say it's coincidence.<shrug>