In recent years, “new technologies” have become central in the development and evolution of security and migration control systems, within the European Union (EU) and globally. This concerns both the control and biometric tracing of bodies, as well as the development of technologies for profiling and tracking virtual identities, often linked to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Against this backdrop, thousands of migrants have died on dangerous journeys to Europe. We do not know who the vast majority of these individuals are. This leaves friends and family in a state of limbo, not knowing the fate of their loved ones.
In this report, we examine the potential implications of the application of new technologies in the specific context of border deaths: the search for missing migrants along migration routes and the forensic identification of bodies of border deaths. Here, the deployment of new technologies has important consequences for the families of missing persons seeking answers from European authorities regarding the fate of their relatives, and ultimately, their search for justice. Through desk-based research and 30 qualitative interviews conducted with forensic experts, institutional representatives, civil society organisations, legal specialists, and family or community members we were able to map and critically evaluate new technologies in the search for the missing and the identification of deceased migrants.
To better explore the issue of use of new technologies in the identification and search for missing or deceased persons in migration, we begin by examining the role of forensic experts, who mediate between the demands of families and institutions, and the approaches they take. We explore different genealogies within the field of humanitarian forensic action, such as the “Latin American Model”, the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), counter-forensics and citizen-led forensics approach. We note that the emerging development of AI-based forensic technologies aimed at locating and identifying migrants who have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean is situated within a complex entanglement of the forensic, the humanitarian, and the political. We caution that centring material traces and forensic identification risks overlooking the broader context of missing migrants and the role and agency of families in the search. Furthermore, the case of missing migrants in the Mediterranean constitutes a unique setting for this work as the fundamental trace essential to forensic work is often absent: the body itself.
We explore, in detail, methodologies involving new technologies and artificial intelligence related to the search for the missing such as Complex Social Network Analysis (CSNA) and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). As well as those more closely linked to forensic identification of the dead such as Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), DNA, fingerprints, facial recognition and databases, while acknowledging that this distinction (between search and identification) is not always possible or helpful.
Despite significant attention to the potential of AI, these technologies have not yet achieved widespread adoption. Their application remains fragmented and localised, primarily because experimentation is confined to a limited number of actors and cases, with only minimal collaboration across different stakeholders.
We then outline the vitally important ethical considerations surrounding the use of new technologies in the context of missing migrants. Regulations and guiding principles are essential to mitigate potential harms from the use of new technologies, and the rights of families of the missing must be considered at all times.
Read full report in English, French and Arabic.
Read the executive summary inEnglish, French and Arabic.