Human security of migrants in the on-line world

The migrant crisis in Europe has continuously highlighted the crucial need for better access to communication technology for people on the move, from mapping their journeys and finding the most convenient route, to connecting to the Internet when arriving in every new place in order to contact their loved ones, to ask for money transfer, to use the online translation services and applications, to start an on-line asylum procedure when possible, to attend online education or training in cases when they stay in a reception camp for prolonged period of time, etc. We can see how crucial connectivity is for migrants from the first question that they ask when arriving in a new reception camp – “Is there Wi-Fi?” In the situation that they are, they are overexposed on the internet and thus they became an easy ’pray’ for the malicious ‘predators’ that take advantage of their vulnerable situation. After the Covid-19 outbreak and the social distancing protocols, the migrant’s online lives became even more exposed. For example, the only free legal aid was by using the online services and social media. This facilitated the access to their personal data and privacy not only for the ones that have migrant’s best interest at heart, but also for the ones that want to use their disadvantage position and manipulate with their lives. Some non-state actors and private companies have seen the need for protection of the migrant’s vulnerability in the online world. They have arranged cloud security software to protect refugees from cyberthreats. For example, according to the interview conducted by Refugees Deeply on Cisco’s involvement in helping the refugee’s crisis, Cisco’s successfully blocks an average of 2,000 cyberthreats per day by using their cloud security software. Cyberthreats are becoming more forward-thinking, advanced, and widespread, and we all know that protection on personal data and privacy are vital for the refugee population, so therefore the importance of safeguarding the migrant’s privacy has become crucial necessity. This article aims to show the impact of the IT technology on the migrants’ lives, the facilitating role of the communication technology on the migrants’ plans but also the ‘dark side’ on the IT technology when it comes to their security. All of this will be elaborated through the special vulnerable position of the migrants during the Covid-19 pandemia and the emphasized use of IT. Key words: migrant, crisis, IT, social media, Covid -19, personal data, human security