Internet security

Thin underwater cables hold the internet. See a map of them all.

These thin underwater cables are the circulatory system of the global internet — while we get our GIFs and videos from fiber optic cables and cellphone towers, high-speed international information is transferred almost entirely under the sea.For all the talk of a wireless world, fiber optic cables are still the fastest way to move large amounts of information. Even though covering the ocean floor with cables is a complex, laborious task, it's worth it for the gains in international communication speed.
It's these cables that distribute 99 percent of international data and drive everything from high-frequency trading (around the Arctic) to a range of high-tech consumer internet services.