Target: Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of International Maritime Organization
Goal: Strengthen and enforce legal protections for undersea cables integral to international communication.
They’re as thick as garden hoses and number in the hundreds. Yet they connect the world, powering nearly 100 percent of personal and business communications trans-globally. Submarine cables that crisscross sea-beds have been in existence since telegraph companies paved the way for global communication in the mid-19th century. The cables are remarkably resilient, even against the stresses of the sea and its diverse lifeforms. Increasingly, the greatest danger posed to submarine cables – and to the vast communications they enable – comes from human interference.
Incidents of ship activity accidently damaging cables have arisen over the years. But recently, potential malicious attacks have become an increasing concern. Both the Baltic Sea and the Red Sea were sites of cable damage that some experts considered sabotage. During the Spanish-American War over a century ago, a similar attack unfolded on undersea telegraph cables as part of an attempt to prevent vital military communications from taking place. With tensions increasing around the world, experts now worry that the backbone of current internet communications – enabling messages and transactions in mere seconds – could become a prime target of conflict.
A United Nations treaty is supposed to protect these vital cables, but the document is vague, lacks clear enforcement standards, and remains unsigned by key players like the United States. Sign the petition below to urge strengthening of this important agreement.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary-General Dominguez,
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is supposed to provide a solid framework for protecting the world’s essential submarine communications cables. Yet non-ratification, non-specificity, and non-enforcement have hobbled these efforts and led to troubling incidents like the Baltic Sea suspected sabotage. The last clear legal framework for protection of submarine cables occurred more than 150 years ago and specifically addressed telegraph cables.
Global communications have progressed by leaps and bounds, yet key protections remain stuck in the 19th century. Businesses, governments, and people around the world rely on these communications systems for security, for economic benefit, for connection, and for so much more. Update and fully ratify UNCLOS so that this treaty reflects and respects the essential role submarine cables play in the modern world.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
