Paper details

Paper authors	Linnet Taylor
In panel on	Interrogating Humanitarian Technology: Critical Perspectives on Data
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

This paper will critically explore the relationships between international actors, migrants and the private sector in relation to the migration influx of 2014-2018. As new sources of digital data such as mobile phones, online social networks and sensors including satellites and drones become available, commercial actors are entering the humanitarian sector and providing specialist skills around data collection, management and analysis. These new actors can provide an unprecedented level of detail in the surveillance of migrants, both regular and undocumented. The new data sources are also facilitating an entrepreneurial and often opportunistic set of practices on the part of commercial technology firms, where humanitarianism and startup cultures are increasingly clashing in terms of their priorities and philosophies. What does the humanitarian sector gain and lose by collaborating with the private sector around data analytics, and what kinds of governance might be appropriate for these new configurations?

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