This public document serves as a legal and ethical notification to States, international bodies, defense actors, and technology platforms engaged in the development or deployment of autonomous systems in armed conflict.
Under the Geneva Conventions (1949), particularly Common Article 3 and Article 1, all parties are required to:
Modern warfare increasingly involves autonomous systems that lack means to identify acts of surrender. This results in potential violations of the obligation to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, including those attempting to surrender.
HF SIGNAL 01 is a proposed protocol and technical language designed specifically to allow autonomous systems to recognize surrender gestures through machine-readable inputs.
Failure to investigate, consider, or implement such protocols when available may constitute a negligent omission under humanitarian law principles, and may lead to moral, reputational, or legal liability.
The Human Flag Association hereby notifies relevant actors that:
"A person who surrenders must not be made the object of attack." – Protocol I, Article 41, Geneva Conventions
This notification is issued in good faith. Institutions that receive, view, or are aware of this information are considered informed under public humanitarian notification standards.
Silence or non-action in light of a known safeguard may, in future proceedings, be examined as a contributing factor to violations of international humanitarian law.
— Human Flag Association
Via Visconti 1, Bellinzona – Switzerland
April 2025