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Content type: Video
Links Read more about your optionsLearn more about PI's position on the Cyber Resilience Act
Content type: Report
Technologies that have both military and civilian applications are known as "dual-use”. Drone start-ups, arms giants, and satellite manufacturers are among the tech companies which are increasingly marketing surveillance products for both military and civil applications, leading to a blurring of the lines between the two domains. This has serious implications for our freedoms, and the militarisation of our societies, and the use of publicly-funded research.Exploring the growing influence of…
Content type: Video
All of our militarisation workBelow are all the articles we talk about in this episode:What is Militarisation of Tech?Key Concerns Regarding Governance in the Era of Militarisation of Tech“Killer Robots”: Read PI's statement during informal consultations on autonomous weapons systems in New YorkHow Data Drives the Militarisation of TechOn the Applicable Legal Frameworks and Regulatory Gaps: International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights LawWe have a mailing list specifically for…
Content type: Long Read
In their gold rush to build cloud and AI tools, Big Tech is also enabling unprecedented government surveillance. Thanks to reporting from The Guardian, +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Intercept, we have insights into the murky deals between the Israeli Government and Big Tech firms. Designed to insulate governments from scrutiny and accountability, these deals bode a dark future for humanity, one that is built using the same tools that once promised a bright, positive world.On 25 September…
Content type: Long Read
Governments are increasingly relying on data-intensive systems, both to wage wars and to administer public services. These systems, increasingly provided by the same firms using similar tools, will come to affect our day-to-day lives whether we are in war zones or town squares. This is the era of Militarisation of Tech.The technologies that our governments rely on to deliver services and pursue their objectives are becoming increasingly data-intensive and militarised, which threatens our…
Content type: Long Read
Legal regimes governing situations of armed conflict and peace time have traditionally been clearly defined, leaving little to no doubt as to which regime applies to what situation. However, the Militarisation of Tech challenges this tidy distinction. Instead we are seeing the blurring of lines between actors, technologies, and the areas of deployment, financing, export, and regulations of certain technologies. This growing overlap between on the ground and remote, between war and peace,…
Content type: Long Read
Governments are rapidly militarising our societies. They are already increasing military spending, undermining civil rights protections, and reducing social protection programmes. Governments already depend on the private sector for delivering public services, through public-private partnerships.Now they are looking to the tech industry to design the next generation battlefield. As new technologies are at the core of this shift, industry is keenly adapting.Big Tech firms are militarising,…
Content type: News & Analysis
We’ve been warning for a while now about the risks of AI Assistants. Are these assistants designed for us or to exploit us?The answer to that question hinges on whether the firms building these tools are considering security and privacy from the outset. The initial launches over the last couple of years were not promising.Now with OpenAI’s agent launch, users deserve to know whether these firms are considering these risks and designing their service for people in the real world. The OpenAI…
Content type: Video
LinksLearn more about Repro uncensoredRepro Uncensored incident report formAdriana Smith's caseMore about Adriana's casePrivacy International's Menstruation apps researchResearch on Bing's Typo-searchingMSI on the Global impact of Roe V. Wade being overturnedReport by Fòs Feminista on the Global Impact of the Dobbs DecisionMeta getting rid of factchecking functionAmazon USA report called Obstacles to Autonomy, which includes info on advertising account restrictionsAn report by the Independent…
Content type: Video
Links:Read more from Defend Digital MePI's work on Securitising Education25 Years old - The Database State report5 safes principlesUK Government's publication on Genomics in EducationTips and Tricks for submitting a Data Subject Access RequestRequest your information from the Department for Education
Content type: News & Analysis
Layla looks at her calendar on her phone. She’s in charge of planning her book club’s monthly meeting. After thinking for a second, she summons her AI assistant: “Hey Assistant, can you book me a table at that tapas restaurant I read about last week, and invite everyone from the book club? The restaurant should be in my browsing history. Let me know if the journey is more than 1-hour for anyone”. As the assistant compiles a response, she wonders if anyone else will hear this.Technology has made…
Content type: Long Read
“Hey [enter AI assistant name here], can you book me a table at the nearest good tapas restaurant next week, and invite everyone from the book club?” Billions of dollars are invested in companies to deliver on this. While this is a dream that their marketing departments want to sell, this is a potential nightmare in the making.Major tech companies have all announced flavours of such assistants: Amazon’s Alexa+, Google’s Gemini inspired by Project Astra, Microsoft’s Copilot AI companion and…
Content type: Video
Links- Read our in-depth article about what happened and what it tells us about the security and robustness of the modern internet- Find more about the 911 outages across several US states- CrowdStrike's own review of the problem- Our podcast on the XZ exploit- Facebook VPN exploitation- The philosopher Caitlin was thinking of was Paul Virilio
Content type: Long Read
On 13 March 2025, we filed a complaint against the UK government challenging their use of dangerous, disproportionate and intrusive surveillance powers to undermine the privacy and security of people all over the world. Here, we answer some key questions about the case and the recent events that led to this development.Note: This post was last updated on 13 March 2025.What’s the fuss about?A month ago, it was reported that the UK government demanded Apple Inc – maker of the iPhone, iPads, Macs…
Content type: Guide step
Depending on where in the world you are visiting from, websites may seek consent as one way to justify their collection of data about you. This has become general practice across the web, and the typical way to ask for user consent is via banners that pop up first thing when the webpage loads. Often these banners will make use of design elements and user interfaces aiming to mislead or influence you in giving away consent to collect and process your data - these are called Dark Patterns and are…