From lie detectors to scanning drones, the European Union and its partners are building a vast and powerful web of surveillance and tracking at European borders, deep inside Europe, and beyond. But this is about much more than just border control.
These technologies are tested first on people on the move* and racialised communities where it is harder to fight back and challenge them.
Once the tech is in place, there’s no going back - and these dangerous experiments will shape how all of us live.
The AI Act fails to prevent irreversible harms in migration and in so doing it undermines its very purpose - protecting the fundamental rights of all people affected by the use of AI.
So we’re calling on legislators to ban the use of experimental tech against people crossing borders and effectively regulate to ensure AI is used with safety and accountability.
Some AI systems pose an unacceptable risk to our fundamental rights, and they will never be fixed either via technical means nor with some procedural safeguards. Lawmakers must ban:
Lawmakers must also ensure that the AI Act regulates any types of AI systems used in migration, especially the surveillance technology used in the context of border control and for identity checks. The EU AI Act will be an instrument of protection only if it does not leave anyone behind.
All AI systems used in migration should be subject to oversight and accountability measures, including surveillance technology used in the context of border control and for identity checks.
Article 83 must be amended to ensure AI as part of large-scale EU IT databases falls within the scope of the AI Act and that the necessary safeguards apply for uses of AI in the EU migration context.
There will never be justice without a system of accountability and transparency. The violence, the push-backs and the deaths caused by AI systems will remain unknown if the AI Act fails to guarantee people the right to challenge the violations they have suffered, and if public oversight is impeded.
Lawmakers must ensure the EU AI Act empowers people to seek justice, guarantee public transparency, and prevent harm from the most harmful AI systems when used in migration and border control.
We’re urging them to ban the use of harmful tech used against people on the move and racialised communities and effectively regulate all AI systems used in migration.
Read our Joint Statement
‘The EU AI Act must protect people on the move’
