The borders, they are a-changin'! The emergence of socio-digital borders in the EU

Abstract

Relying on big data, modern surveillance becomes increasingly influential in determining societal power relations. Lyon argues that modern surveillance always categorises people entailing social effects, what he conceptualises as social sorting. This paper assesses if patterns of social sorting can be found in the EU surveillance systems for migration Schengen Information System (SIS), Visa Information System (VIS) and EUROpean DACtylographic comparison system (EURODAC), which are planned to be merged in order to ensure maximum efficiency in surveillance. To do so, the paper analyses relevant documents referring to SIS, VIS and EURODAC. These systems have assumed the traditional border function of deciding on societal inclusion and exclusion. I argue that, to some extent, socio-digital borders are drawn along the categories established through social sorting. The paper exemplifies how social sorting relying on big data may be a disempowering surveillance practice.

Neither opaque nor transparent: A transdisciplinary methodology to investigate datafication at the EU borders

“…For more than a decade now, the exponential use of digital technologies and related datafication of border governance has raised many questions. Researchers and activists have diagnosed these transformations from the ‘biopolitical’, ‘biometric’ or ‘digital’ borders to ‘socio-digital borders’, ‘iBorders’, ‘big borders’ or ‘deep borders’ (Amoore, 2006, 2021; Broeders, 2007; König, 2016; Metcalfe and Dencik, 2019; Pötzsch, 2015; Walters, 2002). These diagnoses have emerged from qualitative, often ethnographic analyses of practices in situated locations of border governance and security.…”

Border Reconfiguration, Migration Governance, and Fundamental Rights: A Scoping Review of EURODAC as a Research Object

“…Another concept, launched by König (2016), is the "socio-digital border," which the author suggests captures how EURODAC functions as "social sorting," a concept developed by Lyon (2003). König (2016, p. 3) describes how "social sorting systems put the collected data into risk categories," profiled "according to race, gender, ethnic, national or religious criteria."…”

Selectie aan de grens: over etnische profilering, algoritmes en het recht op non-discriminatie

“…Met name sinds de aanslagen van 11 september 2001 in de Verenigde Staten wordt het Europese grens-en migratiebeleid voor een groot deel vanuit een veiligheidsmotief bepaald. Dit beleid is erop gericht om zo snel mogelijk en liefst voor aankomst in de EU mogelijke 'risicovolle' reizigers te selecteren en de toegang te weigeren (zie onder meer Van der Ploeg & Pridmore, 2015; Koenig, 2016). De op basis van dit beleid aangenomen surveillance-en antiterrorismemaatregelen hebben het risico op etnische profilering vergroot.…”