Drone strikes depend on a network of remote invisible human observers

Evidence

The passengers traveling in three vehicles that, a few hours ago, left their little village in the province of Daikundi have no idea that for quite some time now, dozens of eyes have been watching them. Among those invisible spectators are not only the pilot and sensor operator but also a mission intelligence coordinator, a safety observer, a team of video analysts, and a ground force commander, the last of whom will eventually give the go-ahead for an aerial strike. — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 24 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

In other words, the argument here is that, so far as the capacity for discrimination goes, the drone technology destroys the traditionally established link between visual acuteness and physical proximity. The proximity of the operator is no longer necessarily a pertinent factor in the identification of targets. — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 1016 (#expands, via linked claim)

Not only can there be no simple attribution of responsibility, but the description of that responsibility, diffracted amid this headless network of multiple agents, tends to become diluted. It changes from being intentional to being unintentional, from being a war crime to being a military-industrial accident. Rather, as in the case of the “junk bonds” skillfully elaborated by finance, it becomes very difficult to determine who is who or who has done what. This is a typical way of fabricating irresponsibility. — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 665 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Pattern-of-life strikes kill civilians through unconfirmed behavioral inference; Drone targeting hinged on remote visual guesses about sex and combatant status; Each drone strike involves a distributed network of human watchers and deciders — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 24 (+5 more)

Related

• Each drone strike involves a distributed network of human watchers and deciders (similarity 0.93)
• Drone targeting hinged on remote visual guesses about sex and combatant status (similarity 0.89)
• Drones produce constant terror because targets never know when they are tracked. (similarity 0.87)
• Drone technology severs visual discrimination from physical proximity to targets. (similarity 0.85)
• Most drone strikes target suspects whose identity is unknown at the moment of killing. (similarity 0.84)
• A remote-controlled suicide bomber is essentially a human drone (similarity 0.84)
• Drones are less precise than rifles and grenades at discriminating targets. (similarity 0.84)
• Drone surveillance cannot reliably distinguish combatants from civilians (similarity 0.84)
• Drone operators see strikes in vivid detail, overturning the distancing logic (similarity 0.83)
• Drone killing is reduced to clicking on tiny on-screen figures (similarity 0.82)
• Drone targeting decisions rest on probabilistic inference from behavior rather than observed facts. (similarity 0.82)
• Faceless blurry drone imagery reduces moral resistance to killing (similarity 0.81)
• Drone technology produces a strong moral buffering effect that offsets visual proximity to victims. (similarity 0.81)
• Drone technology produces a combined morale-buffering effect on operators (similarity 0.81)
• Drone surveillance transforms the panopticon from a punishing to an annihilating gaze. (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Each drone strike involves a distributed network of human watchers and deciders #corroborates (0.95) — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 24
• Drone technology severs visual discrimination from physical proximity to targets. #expands (0.80) — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 1016
• Diffused agency in drone networks fabricates irresponsibility by diluting intentionality into accident #expands (0.70) — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 665
• Faceless blurry drone imagery reduces moral resistance to killing #expands (0.70) — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 404
• Most drone strikes target suspects whose identity is unknown at the moment of killing. #expands (0.65) — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 211
• Drone operators see strikes in vivid detail, overturning the distancing logic #contradicts (0.60) — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 403