Documenting the Undocumented: Privacy and Security Guidelines for Humanitarian Work with Irregular Migrants

• Published in: Information in Contemporary Society Vol. 11420; pp. 236 - 244
• Main Authors: Vannini, Sara, Gomez, Ricardo, Newell, Bryce Clayton
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2019; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• Subjects: Data justice; Humanitarian Information Activities; Migration; Privacy
• ISBN: 3030157415; 9783030157418
• ISSN: 0302-9743; 1611-3349
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-15742-5_23

Humanitarian organizations frequently do not fully address the implications of collecting, storing, and using data about vulnerable populations. We propose a conceptual framework for Humanitarian Information Activities (HIA), especially in the context of undocumented migration. We examine this framework in the light of both a survey of the literature and a pilot study that examines HIA activities in three distinct contexts: (1) higher education institutions that provide support to undocumented students, (2) non-profit organizations that provide legal support to undocumented immigrants, and (3) humanitarian organizations assisting undocumented migrants near the US-Mexico border. We discuss both technological and human risks in HIA, the limitations of privacy self-management, and the need for clear privacy-related guidelines for HIA. We conclude suggesting guidelines to strengthen the privacy protection offered to vulnerable populations by humanitarian organizations in the context of irregular migration.