Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is hosting a one-day public conference on Technology in Wartime. It will take place January 26th at Stanford University. From the conference description:
This conference will explore how computer technology is used during war -- both for the purposes of combat/defense, as well as for human rights interventions into war-torn regions. Topics will include high tech weapons systems, cyberwarfare, autonomous aircraft, mobile robots, internet surveillance, anonymous communication, and privacy-enhancing technologies that aid human rights workers documenting conditions in war-torn countries and help soldiers communicate their experiences in blogs and e-mail.
Our goal will be to consider the ethical implications of wartime technologies and how these technologies are likely to affect civilization in years to come. Ultimately we want to engage a pressing question of our time: What should socially-responsible computer professionals do in a time of high tech warfare?
Participants will include technology experts, military professionals, policy-makers, scholars, and human rights workers. Confirmed speakers include Bruce Schneier (BT Counterpane Security), Barbara Simons (ACM), Herb Lin (NSF), Cindy Cohn (EFF), Patrick Ball (Benetech), Neil Rowe (US Naval Academy), Ronald Arkin (Georgia Tech), and Noah Shachtman (Wired magazine's war correspondent).
The proceedings will be broadcast live on the Web, and the presentations collected in book form online, released under a CC license, and made available to the public and policy makers looking for expert opinions on wartime technology issues during the election year.
Link: Technology in Wartime.
I'm planning to attend and will write something about it here afterwards.
See also this post about it by conference organizer Annalee Newitz at io9: Will We Hold Robots Accountable for War Crimes?
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