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Migration and Surveillance Technologies in Geneva

Problem and Research Questions: The use of surveillance technologies as tools of security policies in response to migration remains a largely unexplored area. In the era of the second digital revolution, it is intuitively suspected that various migration policies are instrumentally fuelled by surveillance technologies. But what exactly are these technologies? What are the strategies that support their use in the Geneva context and what are the stakes? These are the questions around which our research is structured.

Methodology: Our methodological approach was defined by two main phases: the analysis of primary sources to show the strategies/policies emanating from the Geneva administration or legislation (1st phase) and interviews with relevant actors, namely academics, professionals from the administration; associations in charge of assisting migrants (2nd phase).

Results: Information concerning digital surveillance at the continental or national level is more easily accessible than that concerning Geneva. Indeed, at the European level, Switzerland’s membership in FRONTEX demonstrates the country’s adherence to and participation in a certain policy of digital surveillance of migratory flows. In the same vein, a parliamentary initiative, if adopted, will authorize the search of asylum seekers’ cell phones when they cross the country’s borders to determine their itinerary, and therefore their eligibility for refugee status. As far as Geneva is concerned, however, the real digital tools used in the surveillance management of the migration issue remain unknown. Nevertheless, we have compiled some modest information based on a correlational and deductive approach that considers the paradigms of the continental and national contexts. Such an approach, because of its low productivity, has allowed us to hopefully eloquently highlight the need for further research on the topic to democratize the information.