DW NewsTehran’s toll booth already taxes oil traffic on top of the water, now the want to charge the data traffic under the water. Even if they can’t charge for the ‘service’, is the threat against these cables enough to change they way big-tech firms invest in the gulf nations? We ask trade and technology expert Eric Brown for his assessment.
00:00 Strait of Hormuz as a digital choke point
00:13 Undersea cables and global data flows
00:34 Could Iran gain leverage over data traffic?
00:47 How vulnerable are these cables?
01:17 Threats seen as intimidation tactics
01:52 Why the cables are crucial for the region
02:26 What kind of data flows through them
02:43 Built-in backups and limits to disruption
03:06 How cables can be damaged
03:47 Repair challenges in conflict zones
05:15 Growing concern over undersea infrastructure
06:05 Investment risks in the Gulf region
07:14 Search for alternative cable routes
08:05 Who owns and regulates the cables
