According to a media update released by the Department of Justice at the end of last week, tech giants Google and Facebook Meta have agreed to protect data traveling to the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) system.
The agreement was made to protect the under sea fiber cable connecting the United States with Taiwan and Philippines.
So, as per the details available to our Cybersecurity Insiders, Edge Cable Holdings, a business unit of Meta Platform along with GU Holdings, a subsidiary of Google LLC will be assigned with the duty of protecting the undersea cable system against all kinds of data steal related threats.
As DoJ, DoD and Homeland Security (DHS) are members of Team Telecom, they endorsed the agreement as per the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications and Services Sector.
Under the agreement, Google and Meta will be responsible for making risk assessments on the data traveling on the PLCN system from time to time. Also, they need to submit an annual report stating about risks (if any) associated with the data when it exists the cable and its inviolability in system’s’ interconnection points in Asia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Importantly, Google has taken the responsibility for monitoring and restricting access to information and infrastructure that is being shared with the Hong Kong-based Pacific Light Data Communications Co LTD(PLCD) with the PLCN.
Note- In June 2020, PLCD applied for an FCC license that was blocked by Team Telecom as certain clauses in the proposal were deeply against the US Privacy and Security laws.
