Disruption Network Institute
Investigating the Kill Cloud

New website: disruption.institute

Disruption Network Institute: A new unique hub enables whistleblowers, researchers and artists to investigate the future of war, autonomous weapons and A.I.

The Berlin-based institute launches on September 11, 2023 with the research project Investigating the Kill Cloud: Information Warfare, Autonomous Weapons & AI, with research fellows ranging from military whistleblowers to artists.

Bringing transparency to the complexity and opacity of networked warfare

Since September 11, whistleblowers have been crucial to the public understanding of how wars are being waged, and what the consequences are for civilians around the world. The increasing military reliance remote warfare and drone strikes, and the available global surveillance apparatus – The Kill Cloud ­– is merging the military cloud with the civilian one.

A unique critical and international research hub

The Disruption Network Institute builds on a decade of networking by the Disruption Network Lab, in connecting whistleblowers, researchers, journalists, artists & activists through conferences and publications. “At our conferences, whistleblowers were telling us there isn’t a place for them to build on their knowledge and experiences – so we had to create this space”, says Tatiana Bazzichelli, director of the Institute.

Research Fellows 2023–2024

The four 2023–2024 fellows are: Lisa Ling (Whistleblower, Technologist, former Technical Sergeant, US Air Force Drone Surveillance Program), Jack Poulson (Executive Director, Tech Inquiry, US), Naomi Colvin (Whistleblower Advocate and UK/Ireland/Belgium Programme Director at Blueprint for Free Speech, UK), Joana Moll (Artist and Researcher, ES). Read more about the fellows here.

Research Papers Published 28.11.2024

Lisa Ling: Accountability in Data-Centric Warfare: Insights From a Former Insider

Jack Poulson: Towards a Public Database for Investigating Western Special Operations

Naomi Colvin: ”Ethical but Lethal” – The UK Position on AI Safety and Autonomous Weapons Systems

Joana Moll: Cookies at War: A Somatic Approach to The Kill Cloud