ICT4Refugees: A Report on the Emerging Landscape of Digital Responses to the Refugee Crisis

"...[T]he current phenomenon of 'ICT for refugees' is novel and has great potential that should be investigated."

In the efforts to respond to mass migrations and to support refugees, there has been a proliferation in digitally focused projects, consisting a venerable "new eco-system [that] is emerging internationally with a speed, intensity and diversity that has not been seen before" in the field of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D). This research report focuses on ICT projects designed to help receive and support refugees who have fled their homes and are staying elsewhere in camps or among host communities. The scope of the discussion is around projects using personal computers, smartphones, and tablets that can access the internet. The paper was published by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The report begins by characterising civic tech actors, who are playing a role in this new eco-system. The civic tech community is populated by people mainly with a professional tech background, aiming to build technological responses to social issues. Many of these projects are partially or entirely powered by volunteers. The authors point to "Techfugees", a network organisation founded in September 2015 as a kind of umbrella organisation for civic tech projects with a refugee focus. Hackathons to create new such projects have taken place across Europe (as well as in New York, United States (US) and Melbourne, Australia); conferences have been held in London, United Kingdom (UK) and New York; and a live-streamed all-day event was organised in February 2016 in which an online audience were introduced to a string of international initiatives through Skype interviews. The Techfugees Facebook page and Slack channel (an instant messenger cum online forum) have become central sites of networking and exchange for those working in the space. Such civic tech approaches have both strengths and weaknesses, outlined here.

This report is based primarily on field research conducted from February through March 2016 in Jordan, Turkey, and Greece. In each country, the researchers conducted qualitative interviews and undertook participant observation of both those on the project side and those who are refugees (108 in total) about how they use digital technology and which of the projects that are emerging they know about and use. They supplemented this with desk research as well as Skype interviews.

This research revealed that smartphone ownership among refugees is widespread; among Syrians it is close to universal. In spite of high rates of smartphone usage, the levels of tech literacy among the refugee population seem on the whole to be low. Smartphones are not typically regarded as an information portal with which one can independently search for information and resources from an external source. If people need to know something, they will most readily seek answers from within their social network rather than, for instance, Googling it. For people who have lived in a situation where media reports are being distorted by partisan propaganda, mistrusting reports from authorities and preferring personal corroboration may well be a sound strategy. That said, within the refugee population, there are some individuals using a broader range of services for more sophisticated purposes. It is important for refugee projects is to engage with users at their individual level of tech literacy, preferably through the channels they are already using.

What follows is a report of their field research in Greece, Jordan, and Turkey, outlining key findings from each country and setting them in context. Based on this analysis, the authors provide an overview of key areas of activity and potential, drawing on case studies from the field research. One thing that became clear from interviewing refugees in the 3 countries is that the most important determining factor is how long refugees have been in a place: New arrivals who still consider themselves to be in transit are on the whole concerned only with meeting their more basic needs, and issues such as education and employment become concerns only once more settled. ICT projects must consider the needs profile of the group they are trying to reach. The paper provides examples of many such projects that use ICT in the way they directly interact with refugees, including Refugeeinfo.eu, 8rbtna, elmedresa.org, Edraak, 3DMena, and ReBootKAMP. In addition, digital technology can help non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other actors to be more effective, even if the support they ultimately offer does not have a digital element; a case study of Marhacar is provided.

Next, the paper explores cooperation and exchange between different kinds of actors in the ICT for refugees field - more established humanitarian organisations and newer civic tech practitioners - as well as some challenges and risks common to ICT for refugee projects. For example, there can be challenges associated with access, tech literacy, and usage among refugees. "Ask the question: Do different refugee groups have access to the technologies and services in question, not just technically, but also culturally, socio-economically, politically or legally?" One effective outreach strategy is working through networks that have the personal trust of the refugees - for instance, the NGO workers and volunteers in camps and more technologically savvy individuals within the diaspora. Also, it is imperative that any projects handling any data which could personally identify refugees use strict ethical data practices. This includes risk analysis whenever such data is shared with (including, in some cases, sold to) third parties and robust security and protection against data being hacked or intercepted.

The paper finishes with recommendations for practitioners and policymakers, including:

1. "...Projects should always consider, before creating something new, whether an existing service could be used or adapted to fit the purpose instead...
2. Lower the barriers for usage as far as possible whenever refugees are the intended users. Our research indicates that using Facebook and WhatsApp will be most accessible for refugees...
3. Consider programmes to increase tech access and literacy....Steps could be taken to increase access – e.g. providing hardware to specific groups or for computer labs, or providing discounted mobile data packages....But note that increased access is not enough; it also requires behavioural change, which can take time.
4. ...Try to operate with principles of user-centred design, and ideally its logical conclusion of co-creation with refugees.
5. ...Even if the project is based on an appropriate understanding of need and tech usage, making users aware of it requires a thought through strategy and plenty of work.
6. Prioritise responsible data practices....Organisations such as Responsible Data Forum are creating guidelines and resources to support here.
7. Engage the civic tech community...[I]nvest... in hubs, networks, hardware and connectivity.
8. Facilitate dialogue and collaboration between different groups of actors..."