As States convene in the United Nations Global Mechanism on Developments in the Field of ICTs in the Context of International Security and Advancing Responsible State Behaviour in the Use of ICTs, the ICRC presents a working paper that sets out six threats related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) that civilian populations face in contemporary armed conflicts. In the working paper, the ICRC calls on states to address these threats, together with recommendations on how to do so.
In countries affected by armed conflict, reliable ICTs are critical for civilians to access essential goods and services, for governments to provide such services, and for humanitarian organizations to conduct their activities. However, the use of ICTs by states and non-state actors during armed conflict is also now posing threats to civilian populations. ICT operations are frequently used to harm civilian populations, data, and infrastructure, and can have serious consequences, unintended and incidental.
The ICRC is using this working paper to draw states' attention to the threat to civilian populations from:
- ICT operations disabling the provision of essential services
- ICT operations targeting medical facilities and humanitarian organizations
- The use of ICTs in the recruitment and use of children in hostilities
- ICT threats posed by civilian hackers in armed conflicts
- Danger for civilian populations when technology companies provide products and services to parties to armed conflict
- the use of artificial intelligence in ICT operations during armed conflict.
