The Open Stockpile: Noise Psyops, Torture Tech, and the Hillsboro law
The Open Stockpile: Noise Psyops, Torture Tech, and the Hillsboro law The cupboard is open. From white phosphorus to water cannons, from cluster munitions to long-range acoustic devices (LRADs), the global stockpile of “non-lethal” and “compliance” weapons is no longer hidden. It’s deployed—on streets, in prisons, at borders, and in black sites. And the legal frameworks that should constrain them? Often vague, complicit, or absent. Noise as Weapon: Psyops and Torture Noise isn’t neutral. From Guantánamo to Gaza, sound has been weaponised to break bodies and minds. The U.S. military’s use of Metallica, Eminem, and Barney the Dinosaur in 24-hour loops wasn’t entertainment—it was psychological warfare. LRADs, marketed as “crowd control,” emit piercing tones that induce nausea, disorientation, and long-term hearing damage. These are not anomalies—they’re doctrine. The UN Convention Against Torture prohibits methods that cause severe physical or mental suffering. Yet “no-touch” tortur...