On 9 June 2026, the IPN gathered historians, archivists and researchers from across Europe and beyond for the international conference: “Technology in the Service of State Security Organs of the Eastern Bloc.”
The meeting opened a discussion on a less frequently explored but crucial aspect of Cold War history - the technological backbone of security services and intelligence operations in communist states. From surveillance systems and secret communication tools to early computer technologies and cryptographic devices, the conference showed how deeply technology was embedded in systems of control and repression.
In the event participated representatives of research institutions and universities in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania, Turkey, the United States and other countries. Among them there were representatives of the IPN Archive, the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, and the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, as well as independent scholars specialising in Cold War intelligence history.
The conference was opened by IPN Deputy President Karol Polejowski and Marzena Kruk, Director of the IPN Archive. The Institute’s Deputy Head stressed: The issue raised in the title of the conference is fascinating. It is not only about the fact that security agencies used technology, but also about how innovative they were in this field, how technological progress was applied in their operational work, and what cooperation in this regard looked like between the services of the countries of the communist bloc.
During the conference researchers presented new findings based on archival sources, reconstructing the tools and methods used by the SB, StB, KGB, STASI and other security services. The panels explored topics such as covert observation techniques, encryption and radio communications, operational photography, military communication systems, and the early use of computerised data processing in intelligence work.
The meeting was held at the IPN Central History Point in Warsaw.