"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, the militarisation of our societies, and the use of publicly-funded research, particularly from the European Union."
"In June 2025, arms giant Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) carried out a protest. Its display at the Paris Air Show had been covered, as it violated the ban on showcasing offensive weapons; in response IAI erected a billboard which likened the move to Nazi persecution. Next to a gold star of David, the sign read: "They marked us then. They blacklist us now"."
Technologies with both military and civilian applications are known as "dual-use". Drone start-ups, arms giants, and satellite manufacturers increasingly market surveillance products for military and civil uses, blurring lines between the two domains. This trend has serious implications for freedoms, the militarisation of societies, and the use of publicly funded research, particularly within the European Union. Ten companies and their products, including Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), illustrate how battlefield technologies increasingly shape civilian life and vice-versa. Opaque corporate structures, public-private partnerships, and profit motives often enable unlawful surveillance and repression while shielding actors from scrutiny. Public funding, including EU programmes, helps fuel a global market for dual-use technologies with broad social and political consequences.
Read at Privacy International
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]