Understanding surveillance capitalism from the viewpoint of migration

Abstract

Surveillance capitalism has recently emerged as a key concept in interpretations of global technology companies' business models as seen in Zuboff's (2019) study analysing the transition of some Silicon Valley companies into global monopolies within just a few decades. In this paper, I argue that this business model has turned into a structural element of modern-day capitalism with implications for migration and border management. Through an analysis of the technological tools being developed and used for migration and border management, the article will help to understand the power dynamics underlying surveillance capitalism.The tragic outputs of technological products for the management of migration and border security have recently entered the agenda of the academic community and activist networks. Studies have shown companies investing in border security and migration management, examine their lobbying activities and argue that refugees are being used as subjects in the development of surveillance technologies (Achiume, 2020;Akkermann, 2021;Latonero, 2019;Molnar, 2020). Analysing these, as a whole, within the scope of the surveillance capitalism provides clues of how enmeshed the interests of technology companies, military and security corporations, security bureaucracy and governments are, (Privacy International, 2021) and the oligarchic form of these interests.Although surveillance capitalism discussions mainly focus on the commercial and political aspects to send personalized messages to users, this paper argues that the manifestation of surveillance capitalism in migration and border management would allow us to understand the development of new surveillance tools (lie detectors, facial recognition systems and sensors) that would eventually affect all humanity. Therefore, this is not only related to migrants and borders, such an analysis will illuminate which direction global capitalism is gravitating through cutting-edge technologies and envisage the possible tech-oriented dystopic future at the end of the road.

Border walls, irregular migration and the co‐optation of the border security playbook

“…In the EU, still lagging the multibillion‐dollar expenditure of the USA on some measures, it is indicative of the wider picture that the Union's Frontex border agency has gone from a budget of 6 m euros in 2005, its first year, to more than 750 m euros in 2022 2 . This growth of the border security industry has brought large economic rewards for law enforcement, militaries, defence corporations and other public and private security providers (Akkerman, 2021; Korkmaz, 2022) as well as large political “wins” for governments and enforcement actors. Meanwhile, it has generated huge costs for people on the move as well as for border communities, as Gabriella Sánchez details elsewhere in this issue.…”