Between Innovation and Protection: Humanitarian Implications of Smart Camps in the Eastern Mediterranean

Are "smart camps" truly a step forward for humanitarian aid, or just a new form of digital containment? HDRI is thrilled to present our newest paper authored by Farhan Soumit, Giorgos Kapasakalis, and Renteria Vizcarra Arantza Micaela, and it explores the rapidly changing landscape of European migration management.

As Europe's borders become increasingly digitized, this paper analyzes the emergence of digital border infrastructures on the Greek islands of Lesvos and Samos , uncovering the profound human implications of tech-driven asylum governance.

Key Points from the Research:

• The Rise of Digital Borders: The border is no longer just a physical checkpoint; it is now entrenched into camp infrastructures as a continuous data-processing phenomenon. Smart camps heavily rely on biometric identifiers, facial recognition, AI surveillance, and interoperable databases to regulate the daily lives of migrants.

• Humanitarian Space or Carceral Junction? While often marketed as modern and efficient , these camps are complex spaces of hybridity where humanitarian care and carceral power collide. Instead of merely offering protection, they subject residents to movement restrictions, constant automated monitoring, and limited mobility.

• Rights at Risk: Digital border governance incorporates migrants into systems of surveillance while leaving them outside the scope of full legal or political protection.

• Privatization and Profit: The growing reliance on private technology and security companies raises major accountability concerns. Outsourcing migration control risks prioritizing efficiency, monitoring, and profit-making over fundamental humanitarian requirements.

  
  

Discover why we must urgently reconcile technological innovation with the safeguarding of fundamental human rights.

Read the full paper below: