What is Militarisation of Tech?

"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, expanding from surveillance capitalism by taking on military contracts. Their business models exploited people's data; and now their tools are helping governments wage war. A relatively new 'defence tech' industry is emerging to develop new tools for new modes of warfare. Their business models are stretching away from the battle fields, however, to borders, policing, and social programmes."

"Data is core to these shifts. Advanced technologies automate the collection and processing of data on people, communities, and locations. Personal data feeds new systems used to identify, target, and control populations. These technologies will be adapted for surveillance purposes and used in our town squares [impacting our daily lives](https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5669/blurring-line-how-militarisation-tech-reshaping-our-town-squares-introduction). When we speak of the Militarisation of Tech, we are referring to these dynamics."

Governments are militarising societies by increasing military spending, eroding civil rights protections, and cutting social protection programmes. Governments depend on private-sector delivery of public services through public-private partnerships while turning to the tech industry to design next-generation battlefields. Big Tech firms are expanding from surveillance capitalism into military contracting, applying data-exploitative business models to warfare. A growing defence-tech industry develops tools for new modes of warfare and shifts applications toward borders, policing, and social programmes. Advanced technologies automate collection and processing of metadata, biometric, and social media data to detect behavioural patterns, identify deviations, and establish targets. Social media intelligence (SOCMINT) is being employed for military data gathering.

Read at Privacy International