IRRC No. 913

Digital technologies and war

25 articles

IRRC No. 913 Digital technologies and war

25 articles

Digital innovation today is more rapid than ever before, with potential implications for much of the societal landscape. The operating paradigm for humanitarian actors is no exception to this, nor is the unique environment of armed conflict contexts. For humanitarian actors and the communities they serve, new technologies are both a beacon of hope and a series of challenges requiring careful responses. Digital payments and machine learning may allow for more effective humanitarian action, but implementation without full consideration of associated risks may create inequity in humanitarian access. Digital device penetration and the data that devices produce may ease access to those in need, but also present new challenges to human dignity - ranging from risks to individual privacy and security, to new permutations of gender-based discrimination and violence. The internet allows for unprecedented public engagement, but also brings into sharp focus the importance of ensuring that law works to protect civilians. These Janus-faced phenomena, among many others, demonstrate the potential transformative effects of digital innovation. In light of the importance of digital technology and its development to the humanitarian sector, humanitarian action and the protection of vulnerable communities, this edition of the Review is dedicated to examining the interactions between digital technologies and war.

Table of contents

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The role of digital technologies in humanitarian law, policy and action: Charting a path forward

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Testimonies: How humanitarian technologies impact the lives of affected populations

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Q&A: Humanitarian operations, the spread of harmful information and data protection

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“Doing no harm” in the digital age: What the digitalization of cash means for humanitarian action

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Humanitarian aid in the age of COVID-19: A review of big data crisis analytics and the General Data Protection Regulation

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The struggle against sexual violence in conflict: Investigating the digital turn

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Media and compassion after digital war: Why digital media haven't transformed responses to human suffering in contemporary conflict

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AI for humanitarian action: Human rights and ethics

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Freedom of assembly under attack: General and indiscriminate surveillance and interference with internet communications

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Biases in machine learning models and big data analytics: The international criminal and humanitarian law implications

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Stepping back from the brink: Why multilateral regulation of autonomy in weapons systems is difficult, yet imperative and feasible

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The changing role of multilateral forums in regulating armed conflict in the digital age

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Twenty years on: International humanitarian law and the protection of civilians against the effects of cyber operations during armed conflicts

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The application of the principle of distinction in the cyber context: A Chinese perspective

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Hacking humanitarians: Defining the cyber perimeter and developing a cyber security strategy for international humanitarian organizations in digital transformation

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The updated ICRC Commentary on the Third Geneva Convention: A new tool to protect prisoners of war in the twenty-first century

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The camera and the Red Cross: “Lamentable pictures” and conflict photography bring into focus an international movement, 1855–1865

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Book review: "Digital Witness: Using Open Source Information for Human Rights Investigation, Documentation, and Accountability"

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Book review: "The Persistence of Reciprocity in International Humanitarian Law"

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Librarian’s Pick: "Transitional Justice and the 'Disappeared' of Northern Ireland: Silence, Memory, and the Construction of the Past"

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ICRC Position Paper: Artificial intelligence and machine learning in armed conflict: A human-centred approach

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ICRC Position Paper: International humanitarian law and cyber operations during armed conflicts

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The ICRC Library goes digital

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ICRC-affiliated reports: Digital technologies and war

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Interview with Prime Minister Jüri Ratas of Estonia