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UN: Killer robots could fight WAR WITHOUT END
by Simon Sharwood via gus - The Register Friday, May 31 2013, 12:21am
international / prose / post

(Read carefully -- what is really being sold?)

We are aware of two critical realities in relation to the following story: 1. We know never to take any text at face value, so what does the subtext or secondary (dominant) layer subliminal discourse articulate in the following report, or what is being sold to readers and by whom? 2. Robots are decades away from autonomous function, they require extreme maintenance in the form of HUMAN intervention almost on a continuous basis to be able to function, especially energy or power systems, parts replacements/repairs and critical weapons refits, ammunitions etc -- that is the REALITY. Robots have a very short fully functional life without human intervention. Given current realities, the story simply describes another form of CRIMINAL human warfare.

The United Nations has called for the establishment of an international body to set guidelines for the development and use of lethal autonomous robotics (LARs), lest such machines go on a never-ending killing spree that plunges humanity into perpetual war.

Judge for yourself if we're being colourful or exaggerating by reading the Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns (PDF below), the subject of this story.

Tabled yesterday at a meeting of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the document says “LARs refers to robotic weapon systems that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator. The important element is that the robot has an autonomous 'choice' regarding selection of a target and the use of lethal force.”

Such weapons aren't yet in operation, the report says - though that would seem to be an odd view to take.

Among those devices are “The Samsung Techwin surveillance and security guard robots, deployed in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, detect targets through infrared sensors” and can be set to “automatic mode”. Now we know where all that hand-and-eyeball-movement-detection software in the Galaxy S 4 came from.

The report worries that it won't be long before LARs become prevalent, as waging war without putting one's own troops in harm's way will be very attractive to strategists and could therefore lead to the following scenario:

“Tireless war machines, ready for deployment at the push of a button, pose the danger of permanent (if low-level) armed conflict, obviating the opportunity for post-war reconstruction.”

The report does also point out that LARs might make war a little less uncivilised, as they “would not act out of revenge, panic, anger, spite, prejudice or fear.” Nor would robots torture, unless programmed to, or rape.

Those observations are among the few upsides identified in the report, which finds that LARs are not compatible with international humanitarian or human rights laws and therefore makes the following recommendation:

“The Human Rights Council should call on all States to declare and implement national moratoria on at least the testing, production, assembly, transfer, acquisition, deployment and use of LARs until such time as an internationally agreed upon framework on the future of LARs has been established.”

That council is meeting from now until June 14th and has discussed the report, but is yet to vote on it or agree to its recommendations at the time of writing.

© 2013 The Register

[Now ask yourself which nation wishes to sell the idea of "permanent war" as social reality? Yes, the world's leading civilian killing (terrorist) nation, the USA. Now consider the historical reality that all opposition to the US from the UN was eliminated by a suspect TRUCK bomb blast of HUGE proportions during the illegal Iraq invasion -- today's UN, like the ICC now serves US interests, isn't that right, Mr Ban Ki 'puppet' Moon?

The plain reality is the USA wishes to deploy killer robots in the field and desensitise the population to yet another heinous war crime. This is simply an extension of criminal civilian killing Drone warfare, pure and simple.

With only minor historical references and a little critical analysis the TRUTH is revealed -- be aware and beware -- 'the price of ignorance is SLAVERY!']

UN Report

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/31/united_nations_lethal_autonomous_robotics_report/