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US Air Force is giving military drones the ability to recognise faces

23 February 2023

The US Air Force has completed a project to develop face recognition software for autonomous drones, sparking concerns that individuals could be targeted and killed

A long line of people walk in the same direction along a roadside in a mountainous region of the border between southwestern Russia and Georgia.

Hundreds of Russia's top software developers may have left the country

19 October 2022

Almost 23 per cent of developers in Russia who used the popular coding platform GitHub changed their location information or deleted their profiles between February 2021 and June 2022

A 3D printed tourniquet designed by Canadian company Glia

3D-printed tourniquets could save lives in conflict zones

26 May 2022

Blockades and supply issues limit access to life-saving medical devices in war zones. Companies are creating open-source 3D-printed products to fill the gap

A member of the Ukrainian territorial defence units talks on their phone during observation of Russian troops movements around the village of Velyka Dymerka, 40km east of Kyiv, on 9 March

Russia and Ukraine are both weaponising mobile phones to track troops

11 April 2022

Mobile phones ping signals to nearby communications towers, allowing both Ukrainian and Russian soldiers to track the movement of opposition forces

Satellite imagery of destroyed homes and buildings in Sumy, Ukraine on 14 March

Is Russia getting ready to use chemical weapons in Ukraine?

22 March 2022

An attack on a Ukrainian chemical plant released toxic ammonia, forcing locals to stay indoors. Analysts suggest Russia may carry out more such attacks as a form of chemical warfare, and could escalate to deploying chemical weapons

Strobe weapons: What are they, who is using them and do they work?

17 November 2021

Belarusian soldiers used flashing lights to daze Polish forces amid a border stand-off last week. Strobe weapons have been claimed to have more serious effects, but evidence is lacking

An Independent Election Commission (IEC) official (L) scans a finger of a voter with a biometric device at a polling station in Herat on September 28, 2019. - Afghans voted in presidential elections amid tight security on September 28, even as insurgents attacked polling centres in a series of blasts and clashes across the country that left at least two people dead. (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)

US-built biometrics equipment is falling into the hands of the Taliban

19 August 2021

There are growing concerns about how the Taliban might use the data from a huge biometrics programme started by the US in Afghanistan

Mandatory Credit: Photo by CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock (12324544h) (210817) - KABUL, Aug. 17, 2021 (Xinhua) - Taliban fighters are seen on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021. Normality has returned to Kabul, capital of Afghanistan as the Taliban on Tuesday urged the government employees to return to work, two days after the group took control of the capital. Declaring a general amnesty, the Taliban urged all to start routine life with confidence. It also urged women to join its government. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the situation in Kabul was completely under control and law and order returned to the city. Afghanistan Kabul Taliban Situation - 17 Aug 2021

Afghan people face an impossible choice over their digital footprint

18 August 2021

The Taliban's rise to power has left many people in Afghanistan looking to delete their digital footprint, but there are few resources available and keeping it intact may be key to fleeing the country, writes Nighat Dad