Summary

The present reporta is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 60/5 and Commission of Human Rights resolution 2005/2. It highlights the evolving manifestations of the use of technology by mercenary, mercenary-related actors and private military and security companies in their services, operations and activities, online and offline, in regions across the world. Advances in machine learning, generative artificial intelligence, computing power, cloud servers and remote data storage have enabled the rapid processing of information and greater automation in military and security services and decision-making. These developments have also increasingly blurred the lines between civilian and military technologies; the technology, defence, security and military industries; and public and private actors.b This report follows on from the Working Group’s report to the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session on the provision of military and security products and services in cyberspace,c where the emergence of so-called “cybermercenaries” was mentioned as a new category of actor, underscoring the absence of effective legal oversight and remedy in that domain.d Whereas the previous report focused on cyber-enabled-mercenarism,e this report encompasses a broader range of activities described as “technology-enabled mercenarism”.