Tools and policies for confronting refugee crises: technology as a model

Document Type : Original Article

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Political Science Lecturer, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University

Abstract

The growing refugee crises globally have led to the use of unconventional tools and policies to address them, among which is technology that has radically transformed the global refugee system. In a counter-trend to the commonly held perception of it as an "absolute good," this study argues that some of the challenges and risks that may result from it may outweigh its expected gains. Refugees use technology for learning, gathering information, communicating, mobilizing, and digitizing their identities. While international companies and institutions use them to resettle, create new digital identities, investigate human rights violations, and more. While host countries use it to provide basic services to refugees, determine the best immigration policies, monitor and document the various stages of asylum, create biometric databases, and better monitor borders. This is achieved through several tools that include: blockchain, mobile phones, electronic applications, social media, drones, and artificial intelligence. However, employing these tools does not mean that they can meet the actual needs of refugees for several reasons: digital exclusion, global inequality in access to technology, violation of refugee privacy, biometric accessibility, declining investment in innovative financial technology for refugees, and so on.

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