The Secret World of Underwater Cable Surveillance

🔍Underwater cables, connecting countries and continents, carry an unfathomable amount of data.

🏛️Government agencies like the NSA have been secretly intercepting and analyzing communication carried by these cables.

💣During World War I, the British Navy tapped into a German submarine cable to decrypt their communication.

💻The creation of the NSA in the 1940s marked a new era of mass surveillance, using underwater cables as a source of intelligence.

💡The tapping and interception of cables continued during the Cold War and beyond, leading to significant discoveries.

What are underwater cables used for?

—Underwater cables are used to connect countries and continents, facilitating global communication and the transfer of data.

How are government agencies intercepting underwater cables?

—Government agencies like the NSA tap into these cables using various methods, allowing them to intercept and analyze the communication passing through.

When did underwater cable tapping begin?

—The interception of underwater cables has been going on for decades, starting with operations like Operation Ivy Bells during World War I.

What impact did underwater cable tapping have during the Cold War?

—The tapping of underwater cables provided crucial intelligence during the Cold War, leading to discoveries and influencing international relations.

Are underwater cables still being tapped today?

—While the specifics may not be publicly known, it is widely believed that government agencies continue to intercept and analyze underwater cables for intelligence purposes.

00:00Undersea cables, connecting the world, are used for surveillance by government agencies like the NSA.

04:44The British Navy tapped into a German submarine cable during World War I to decrypt their communication.

08:47The NSA secretly intercepts and analyzes communication passing through underwater cables for intelligence purposes.

11:59In San Francisco, a building contained a box that intercepted traffic from fiber optic cables.

12:58The NSA targeted every cable that touched the United States for data interception.