Human Rights Risks of Migration Flow Predictions and Policy Implications Within the EU

Abstract

The call for reliable, timely, statistical migration flow data by governments, the humanitarian sector, and policy makers has become significantly amplified within the European Union (EU). While migration flow predictions could potentially be beneficial to migrants in terms of the allocation of recourses for humanitarian purposes and the burden-sharing amongst EU member states, such predictions risk jeopardizing migrants and refugees’ fundamental rights. Based on the research policy findings made for the EU-funded ITFLOWS project, this article sheds light on the challenges migration flow prediction technology can pose for migrants’ human rights and makes policy recommendations on how to address them.