Digital frontiers: Forced migration in a changing technological landscape

Introduction

Held over two days on November 3-4, at the Blue Square RUB, the conference featured opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Pierre Thielbörger which focused on SYLFF Mikrokolleg at RUB as well as on the overall topic of the conference, and a keynote by Prof. Dr. Violeta Moreno-Lax of Queen Mary University of London. This was followed by four panels over the two days addressing key themes in digital platforms, and their use by migrants, and for migration governance. The conference brought together 41 participants (mainly from Germany) and presenters from Europe, UK, Africa, and Australia.

Panel 1: Morning, November 3

Following the opening and keynote, Panel 1 on Digital Platforms and Diaspora Humanitarianism examined the opportunities offered by digital tools to migrants and diaspora in supporting vulnerable communities through aid, advocacy and education. Presentations included Abdirahman Edle's analysis of Somali kinship and mosque networks using WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube for crisis response in Somalia; David Johan Lefor's study of Burmese youth in Thailand leveraging social media for activism and skills amid digital divides; Emmanuel Monyei's research on digital solidarity for climate-threatened nations like Tuvalu; and Abdirahman A. Muhumad's study on diaspora networks and collective remittances and the role of state.

Altogether, the panel focused on how social media and digital technologies are used by migrants and diaspora to help communities, improve skills, and advocate for rights in contexts where the state capacities for protections are limited. 

Panel 2: Afternoon, November 3

The second panel on Digital Vulnerabilities and Forced Migrants explored the role of digital technologies in exacerbating vulnerabilities for forced migrants while offering tools for agency and resistance. Dr. Evan-Easton Calabria opened the second panel with her presentation that focused on the vulnerability in remote work of refugees in global gig economy. This presentation was then followed by Dr. Mariana Gkliati’s part with the presentation that discussed the digital technologies that were utilized in EU border management. Dr. Charles Martin-Shields’ contribution focused on the changes that displaced people create through spaces for social, political and economic activity in cities and neighbourhoods of arrival and the utilization of digital technologies along this process. The panel was then concluded with Dr. Edwin Mutyenyoka’s presentation that explored the agency enabled by the digital platforms against the hegemonic neoliberal policies, the rise of far-right politics, pervasive anti-immigrant sentiment, and the shrinking of rights for non-citizens. 

Panel 3: Morning, November 4

The third panel explored algorithmic governance in asylum processes. The first presentation presented by Joan Lopez-Solano revealed the findings of the speaker’s literature review examining how legal and political science scholarship frames the integration of algorithmic technologies into EU migration and asylum systems. The second presentation by Assoc. Prof. Niamh Kinchin explored emerging border technologies including machine learning, predictive analytics and biotechnology, and the risks of overlooking or subverting already established legal standards in the race for efficiency and security gains. Elisabeth Späth gave the third presentation which explored the integration of AI into asylum assessment processes, particularly the Dialect Identification Assistant System used within the German legal system undermining refugee agency by privileging supposedly algorithmic certainty over narrative context. The final presentation of this panel was given online by Dr. Niovi Vavoula which explored different technological developments aimed at preventing and deterring asylum seekers from applying for international protection, providing a typology of these developments and classify them in terms of risk of harm posed to individuals subject to these technologies to demonstrate the fallacies of the EU AI Act.

Panel 4: Afternoon, November 4

As the final session before Professor Dr. Margit Fauser's closing remarks, Panel 4 addressed Border Externalization and New Technologies. Key talks featured Dr. Emre Eren Korkmaz critiquing surveillance capitalism's role in migrant control; Dr. Rose Jaji addressing ethical issues in spatialized externalization policies; Dr. Spyridoula Katsoni’s proposal for private entity responsibility in refoulement complicity; and concluded with Aylin Koymali's examination of EU AI-driven databases potentially undermining non-refoulement via biased biometrics.

Concluding Remarks

The 16 presenters over 4 panels came from a wide array of academic backgrounds, bringing together perspectives on migration study from law, social science, and technology. The conference theme of digital frontiers felt particularly timely, since each presenter was able to provide novel research on emerging themes such as the use of new technologies at borders or explore legal decisions made years or even months before the conference date. All presenters were able to discuss their ideas with participants and each other during coffee break throughout the day and were also invited to a dinner hosted by the university on the evening of the first day which enabled the organisers and speakers to network and exchange information.

This event was organized by Selin Altay, Abdirahman Mahamud and Jack Provan. If you have any questions about the event, they will be happy to hear from you via e-mail.