China and the "Internet kill switch" - repair aid or targeted threat?
News from China caused quite a stir back in March: The South China Morning Post reported on a new, powerful device for cutting underwater cables. The compact "Deep Sea Cable Cutting Device" was developed by Chinese military research institutes - it is designed to cut armoured data cables at depths of up to 4,000 metres.
The plan is to use manned or unmanned underwater vehicles. The aim is to cut open steel-reinforced and multi-protected data cables - with rubber or plastic sheaths, for example - and prepare them for repairs. However, there are also other interpretations: critics fear that the system is not only intended for maintenance work, but could also sabotage submarine cables quickly and in a targeted manner - without deploying anchors or losing complex tools.
Such a device would make perfect technical sense: how else could damaged cables be reached at this depth and prepared for repairs? But the fact that the system is now circulating under the name "Internet Kill Switch" raises questions: Is it about practical deep-sea technology - or a targeted psychological deterrent?
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