Shark counterattack: Google wraps underwater cables with armor

Just in time for Shark Week comes news that Google has had to protect its underwater cables from biting sharks.

Google is wrapping its trans-Pacific cables in layers of armor to protect from sharks, a product manager for the Mountain View, Calif., tech company said last week, according to Network World.

The cables are used to transmit data around the world, so it’s important that they not be damaged. Google uses polyethylene yarn and steel wire to protect its cables from shark bites.

It’s unclear why sharks bite down on the cables, but one theory is that they confuse the cables with prey because of the electric field around them.

The problem is not a new one. Sharks have been disrupting the flow of information since the 1980s, when phone companies were installing underwater fiber cables. According to the New York Times, the first sign of sharks’ attraction to these cables came when a couple of shark teeth were found lodged in a cable off the Canary Islands in 1985.

Google said it’s now turning its attention to more dangerous natural predators.

“Next step, protecting the Internet from sharknados,” Google tweeted.

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