Challenges

Challenge 1: Lack of an inclusive and integrated research framework  

DATAMIG addresses the theoretically and empirically validated lacuna of an integrated research  framework that would cover the three themes outlined above (as well as the concomitant research gaps related to them) by proposing the funding of a research network that will foster and develop critical  enquiry and engagement aimed at a nuanced understanding of the ambiguities, inequalities, and  injustices associated with the datafication of migration and border control regimes. Our network plan of  work eclipses analytical frameworks of reductionist notions of technological optimism or determinism on  the one hand, and narrow understandings of migrants’ agency and autonomy within border control and  surveillance assemblages on the other. DATAMIG supports the creation of a network that will engage  with diverse stakeholder groups in order to meet the need for an empirical study of data practices and  infrastructures as well as of the impact of datafied border regimes. The end result will be offering  evidence of (un)intended consequences for migrants and society and sharing relevant crucial insights  with stakeholder groups, while developing collaborations, synergies, and research approaches that  facilitate a more complex understanding and constructive critique of datafication processes at the border.  

Challenge 2: Keeping track of the dynamic and increasingly transnational field of datafied  migration and border control  

Exchanges and collaborations between the scientific community and civic actors are the key to  understanding how data is being used, by whom it is being shared, and for what purposes. DATAMIG  aims to intensify and extend research collaborations and engagement with civic actors to enable  constructive scrutiny of the highly dynamic and expanding field of datafied EU migration and border  control. DATAMIG Action will: (a) Keep track of the collaborations and new initiatives within the field of  security; this includes, for instance, the EU interoperability initiative, the expansion and creation of new  EU databases, the interconnection of border, security and asylum administrations, the multi-facetted  collaborations between state, economy, tech, science, and increasingly humanitarian actors, the  multiplication of border sites through mobile technologies, as well as the transnationalisation and  externalisation of datafied migration and border control beyond the EU; (b) monitor most recent  developments, such as the inclusion of (Ukrainian) beneficiaries of temporary protection within the  Scope of Eurodac as a response to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which paves the way towards multi purpose databasing and new standards of registering asylum seekers. Within these uncertain and  emergent scenarios, it is imperative to keep track of the multiple implementations of new technologies  and data infrastructures at border sites, the border practices on the ground, and the events of  misconduct and rights violations.  

Individual researchers working on social, ethical, legal, practical, and technical issues tend to focus on  specific cases, actors, and events. In order to enhance the monitoring capacities, civic actors (such as  NGOs), activist groups, and journalists ought to be part of this process. Hence, this Action will align field specific expertise and long-lasting collaborations with stakeholders, which will in turn lead to an  exchange of up-to-date knowledge on recent events and developments. This trans-disciplinary  collaboration is crucial for understanding the field and its dynamics, as well as for the continuous  monitoring of events, communication of insights, and timely interventions. 

Challenge 3: Unconnected arenas of contestation and interventions regarding data matters in  EU migration and border control  

There are numerous activist, advocacy and research initiatives throughout Europe providing support  with respect to legal, housing, healthcare, and working issues, organising protests and demonstrations  against human right violations, the securitisation of migration, deportations, police and Frontex, and getting politically and legally involved in procedures, complaints, and legal actions with municipalities,  state administration, and courts. While those activists, NGOs and researchers are well informed, trained,  and specialised, only a few of those initiatives have focused on broader data matters, for instance the  provision of electric vehicle charging stations in migratory routes, free Wi-Fi spots, recommendations of groups in social media, or helpful websites with reliable information. Furthermore, the DATAMIG Action  will significantly enhance research and engagement by connecting and coordinating with initiatives  centred on data activism, citizen engagement, datafied citizenship, and data privacy/literacy/ownership  outside of the field of migration and border control. In DATAMIG, we view all those actors as crucial  producers of knowledge that enhances and diversifies understandings and discourses of datafied border  control regimes, thus making them more complex. They are involved in the social and political struggles  that take centre stage for marginalised populations, activists, and social movements (Dencik, Jansen &  Metcalfe 2018).  

Coordinated and continuous engagement between researchers and civic actors is crucial for accounting  for the challenges and vulnerabilities migrants face when relying on smartphones, social media, and  digital interconnectivity, as well as for proper forms of support and solidarity. The interaction between  stakeholders with diverse forms of knowledge and powers of intervention is crucial if the datafication of  migration and border control is to be properly understood, the forms of resistance and subversion to be  fruitfully discussed, and new strategies for migrant support and the fabrication of counter knowledge to  be fully developed. Alternatives to narrow legal and analytical tools on data protection, voluntary data  provision, or data justice will be discussed in a manner that takes the realities of migrants into account.  While aiming at the engagement with a wide spectrum of actors, in DATAMIG we also take the  complexity and the well-documented ethical challenges of such research methodologies and  collaborations into consideration, as they have fuelled manifold controversies (Bellanova et al. 2020),  on the one hand, but also given inspiration to constructive proposals on how to approach and reflect on  them (Wienroth 2020;), on the other.  

Researchers’ engagement with civic actors will inform their work with migrants, policymakers, border control practitioners, and wider publics. The long-term objective of the interdisciplinary research network  is to become transdisciplinary and, thereby, help transform insight into practice.