Security News > 2022 > June > Smartphones and Civilians in Wartime

The principle of distinction between the two roles is a critical cornerstone of international humanitarian law­-the law of armed conflict, codified by decades of customs and laws such as the Geneva Conventions.

Those considered civilians and civilian targets are not to be attacked by military forces; as they are not combatants, they should be spared.

The conundrum is how to classify a civilian who, with the use of their smartphone, potentially becomes an active participant in a military sensor system.

The Additional Protocol I to Geneva Conventions states that civilians enjoy protection from the "Dangers arising from military operations unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities." Legally, if civilians engage in military activity, such as taking part in hostilities by using weapons, they forfeit their protected status, "For such time as they take a direct part in hostilities" that "Affect[s] the military operations," according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the traditional impartial custodian of International Humanitarian Law.

This is the case even if the people in question are not formally members of the armed forces.

By losing the status of a civilian, one may become a legitimate military objective, carrying the risk of being directly attacked by military forces.

News URL

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2022/06/smartphones-and-civilians-in-wartime.html