challenges in applying human rights law to armed conflict

While few States have acknowledged publicly that they have used cyber means in support of their military operations, it is estimated that more than 100 States have developed-or are developing- military cyber capacities. We also see an increasing risk of intentional and unintentional harm to affected populations, notably through the (mis)use of data by warring parties and or the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech.

But this, too, makes us vulnerable to cyber operations that could impact our capacity to protect and assist during humanitarian emergencies. We are also increasingly relying on new and digital technologies to support humanitarian programs, for instance by capturing and using information to inform and adjust responses or by facilitating two-way communication between humanitarian staff and civilians affected by conflict or violence. Civilians caught in conflict and violence are already struggling enough as it is to see their hardships worsen. Too often, in armed conflict water and power infrastructure, or hospitals, are damaged by shelling and services are functioning only partially if at all: imagine a major cyber incident on top of it! This can have devastating consequences. The concern for us, as a humanitarian organization, is that military cyber operations are also becoming part of today's armed conflicts and can disrupt the functioning of critical infrastructure and vital services to the civilian population.įor example, healthcare systems are increasingly digitalized and connected but often unprotected, therefore particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Why are military cyber operations a humanitarian concern?Ĭyber-attacks and their consequences are on top of the agenda around the world. We're asking an ICRC expert on cyber warfare and international humanitarian law, Tilman Rodenhäuser, to unpack for us what is at stake in the current peak in intergovernmental discussions on existing and potential threats in cyberspace, how applying international humanitarian law – also referred to as the laws of war or law of armed conflict - to military cyber operations can help avert the significant threats they pose to civilians, and why cyber questions concern all States. You don't need to be a cybersecurity expert to see that in today's highly interconnected and digitally dependent societies, anything with an Internet interface is vulnerable to cyber threats from anywhere in the world.

Challenges in applying human rights law to armed conflict