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Microsoft and Facebook Building Underwater Transatlantic 'MAREA' Data Cable (betanews.com)
An anonymous reader writes: On Thursday, Microsoft and Facebook announced a partnership to build a transatlantic subsea data cable. Called 'MAREA' (Editor's note: it is Spanish for "tide"), it will connect the United States to Europe. More specifically, it will connect the State of Virginia to the country of Spain. The project will begin this August, with a targeted completion date of October 2017.Microsoft says: "MAREA will be the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic -- featuring eight fiber pairs and an initial estimated design capacity of 160Tbps. The new 6,600 km submarine cable system, to be operated and managed by Telxius, will also be the first to connect the United States to southern Europe: from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Bilbao, Spain and then beyond to network hubs in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. This route is south of existing transatlantic cable systems that primarily land in the New York/New Jersey region. Being physically separate from these other cables helps ensure more resilient and reliable connections for our customers in the United States, Europe, and beyond."
The fact that these two giants felt the need to have their own cables indicates how much data they intend to move. Wired has an in-depth piece on it (though the publication blocks users with adblockers).
The fact that these two giants felt the need to have their own cables indicates how much data they intend to move. Wired has an in-depth piece on it (though the publication blocks users with adblockers).
and how much of this is about security.
It wasn't all that long ago we found out that the US and UK governments had tapped into the current Atlantic cables in order to spy. I presume that this new cable isn't going to hosting public traffic, just what those two companies and anyone who pays them send down them. If a government was attempt to tap into it, not only would it probably be fairly easy to detect but it'd also cause some actionable litigation. Which would be the last thing any spy would want to come to light.
Conversely, who knows what hoops they had to hop through in order to get this project off the ground. Would it surprise anyone if there was some governing language which says "you have to let us tap" no matter who owns the cable?
Both companies are known for their data collection/mining of their user base, so this concerns me a bit. I know the article says the cable will be managed by Telxius but I wonder how much influence Microsoft and Facebook will have over that management? They are calling the cable "open" but they proceed to speak about how much benefit it will be to the Azure platform and possible Facebook. Will MS and FB traffic always have priority over everyone else? I just don't trust this whole endeavor because I really don't trust either of these two companies anymore.
No. That would be mareado. I can see where you would think the root of the word would extend the meaning of the word, but alas no.
Tired of my customary (Score:1)