Kaiser calls for clarity: protect human rights in the digital transformation!

Kaiser calls for clarity: protect human rights in the digital transformation!

In a recent article, the Austrian Federal Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Kaiser, made a clear statement about the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Under the title “The European Convention on Human Rights – a foundation that we must not shatter, but rather keep stable,” he states that the ECHR remains unchanged and cannot be questioned. His aim is to objectively address the question of human rights, especially in the context of migration, digitalization and the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Kaiser warns against ideological camp thinking in migration policy debates. He sees new challenges, particularly with regard to protecting children and young people from extremist content on the Internet. The minister emphasizes the importance of understanding human rights as a dynamic protection system that is intended to guarantee a life in dignity and security. He emphasizes that the ECHR should continue to develop in order to maintain its high status in the future.

Technological influence on migration

In the context of migration, digitalization is a central point, as a current briefing from Amnesty International shows. The report entitled “Defending the Rights of Refugees and Migrants in the Digital Age” addresses the use of digital technologies in the asylum and migration sector in the EU, Great Britain and the USA. An example of this is real-time aerial surveillance in the central Mediterranean to identify boats carrying people seeking protection and cooperation with Libyan authorities leading to the repatriation of migrants.

The increasing surveillance of asylum seekers, such as the search of their mobile phones by European countries, has met with sharp criticism. Lena Rohrbach from Amnesty International argues that new technologies should not lead to human rights violations. AI-based “emotion recognition” in particular raises concerns because it can have discriminatory effects and is inaccurate.

Defects in the asylum procedure and data protection issues

Additionally themed Amnesty Digital the increased use of algorithms and AI in asylum law. These technologies are used to predict migration movements or examine asylum requests. Asylum seekers often have to disclose their data without having control over its use, which violates informational self-determination. In Germany there is an automated use of language and dialect recognition and there are specific challenges regarding the proportionality of measures, as announced by the Federal Administrative Court in February 2023.

The increasing use of AI systems in asylum decision-making processes poses risks. Wrong decisions can lead to unjustified deportations, putting the rights of asylum seekers at great risk. Kaiser therefore calls for a constructive debate about human rights and migration that is free of populist tendencies. It highlights the need to secure human rights in the long term and to ensure that technological developments do not come at the expense of human dignity and security.

The juxtaposition of digital technologies and human rights challenges society to find the balance between security and the protection of migrant rights. It remains to be seen how legislators and organizations react to these dynamic developments and how the discussion about the ECHR and its relevance for the future will be conducted.