Aid groups like the Red Cross work in nearly every war zone, and they hold some of the most sensitive data there is: missing persons, prisoners of war, even biometrics. Anna Beck joins co-hosts Joe Patti and Adam Roth to talk about what happens when that data, and the systems behind it, become a cyber target.
The laws of war weren’t written with cyberspace in mind. Anna explains why, in her reading, a cyberattack that knocks an aid group offline may not legally count as an “attack,” or a war crime. Then: who actually enforces the Geneva Conventions, why the Tallinn Manual’s own experts disagree, and why the Red Cross is building a digital emblem that isn’t a firewall.
Recorded in two sessions in July 2026. The conversation presents the speakers’ analysis and interpretations.
Topics Discussed
- Humanitarian organizations and the sensitive data they hold
- The Geneva Conventions and protection for aid organizations
- When a cyber operation legally counts as an attack
- War crimes, enforcement, and the limits of international law
- The Tallinn Manual and disagreements over cyber norms
- Neutrality, cloud services, and data centers in conflict
- The Red Cross Digital Emblem Project
- Why a digital emblem is a signal, not a firewall