The government has outlined new measures to protect the UK’s undersea internet cables amid increased fears of Russian interference.
Ministers are set to gain powers to order telecom companies to remove or disable services during national security emergencies, as well as granting officials access to sites including cable landing stations.
The government has also outlined plans for stronger criminal penalties for those convicted of tampering with either undersea internet cables or energy pipelines.
The new powers would be backed up with prison sentences of up to 14 years for intentional conduct, 10 years for reckless conduct and two years for grossly negligent conduct, alongside unlimited fines.
It comes amid growing fears of suspicious activity in UK waters, and concerns that legal powers over the network have not kept pace with its growing importance to national security.
An extensive network of undersea cables and pipelines owned and operated primarily by the private sector are thought to carry almost all the UK’s international data traffic and three-quarters of its gas supplies.
The growing importance of undersea infrastructure prompted a parliamentary report last year, external to warn of security vulnerabilities in areas including transport and supply chains, financial services and payment systems.
The UK and its Nato allies are concerned about the risk Russia poses to offshore infrastructure.
In April, the government accused Russian submarines of conducting a covert operation over cables and pipelines in waters north of the UK.
The UK has also accused Russia of mapping undersea infrastructure using spy ships. Last year, it revealed the Royal Navy had tracked one such suspected ship, the Yantar, after it passed near UK waters.
Russia has denied the claims, and accused the UK of stirring up tensions through “anti-Russian alarmism”.
