Dataharvest 2025 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference

The EU is increasingly dedicating resources and funding to developing technologies aimed at tracking migration flows. They use biometric and other sensitive data, and monitor borders with dystopian automated systems. These systems often target vulnerable groups, such as migrants, who are surveilled and exploited as data subjects without their consent.

While desk research provides a broad overview of funding flows, it has taken firsthand investigations along the EU's Mediterranean and Atlantic borders to enable us to fully grasp how migration control is being transformed by surveillance and automation. On-the-ground journalistic investigations in Greece, Spain and Italy have revealed that such investments are frequently squandered on automated systems that either fail to function properly or are poorly implemented, resulting in millions of euros wasted. Instead of safeguarding migrants' lives, these technologies often put them at greater risk.

Join this session to learn how to conduct fieldwork research and gather primary-source information on the intersection of migration and technology. Little technical background is required to report on this issue. We will share our findings and demonstrate how to assess this critical topic avoiding EU hype reflected in money flows, public tenders, press notes, etc. while contrasting it with on the ground information.