The U.K. said that ship owners and operators who damage subsea internet cables would face stricter penalties and even prison sentences.
This move is important to deter hostile states, especially Russia, from damaging national infrastructure.
Subsea cables carry more than 99% of data traffic, including calls, messages and other internet services.
In April, Britain claimed that a Russian submarine was sailing near its waters to hide other specialised vessels hovering close to underwater cables.
Telecoms minister Liz Lloyd said Britain had strong military capabilities to protect underwater communication cables, but overhauling a century-old law would remove a legal “grey zone” around suspected malicious activity to increase deterrence.
She added that hostile activities by Russia have grown, and at a time like this, protecting these data cables matters more than ever for the British economy and the people’s daily lives.
She also cited it as a reason to impose tougher penalties for damage and a mechanism to address this issue quickly when such incidents occur, so that the culprits think
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