Data, AI & Digital Sovereignty
Undersea Cables Move From Infrastructure Background to Geopolitical Chokepoint
Lawfare’s review of The Web Beneath the Waves highlights undersea cables as critical digital infrastructure shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, Chinese cable actors, US blacklisting of Huawei and HMN Tech, Russia shadow-fleet concerns and China gray-zone tactics.
BY GEOPOLITICS DESK · JUNE 18, 2026 · 1 MIN READ
Lawfare’s review of The Web Beneath the Waves highlights undersea cables as critical digital infrastructure shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, Chinese cable actors, US blacklisting of Huawei and HMN Tech, Russia shadow-fleet concerns and China gray-zone tactics. It stresses that international law, property law, contract structures and ownership arrangements all shape cable governance. Data sovereignty is physical as well as digital. Legal teams advising telecoms, cloud, finance and critical infrastructure need to understand cable ownership, landing rights, repair obligations, sanctions and national-security review as part of resilience planning.