Katy Fallon

American AI Arrives on Fortress Europe's Borders. At What Cost? American tech companies are increasingly providing AI surveillance technology that is being used on European borders.

Our latest investigation into AI at Europe’s borders - including dystopian-style AI trials in the U.K. that will age assess asylum seekers by taking a photo of their face inkstickmedia.com/american-ai-...

Bulgaria trying to force out Syrian asylum seekers after fall of Assad Exclusive: NGO finds Syrians subjected to interrogations and reportedly pressed into signing return documents

There have also been ongoing allegations that people are being forced into signing 'voluntary returns' documents back to places such as Syria. Written with Lorenzo Tondo who reported more on this issue back in December. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

European govts and the UK have been deporting ppl back to Bulgaria when it's found they already have some trace of having sought asylum there but multiple orgs on the ground have reported poor conditions in accommodation centres as well as reports of violence against people on the move.

UK faces legal challenge over asylum seekers’ deportations to Bulgaria Deportees may face inhumane treatment and torture, say lawyers contesting Labour’s migration policy

Based on a new report by Balkans based human rights org No Name Kitchen, UK lawyers are challenging asylum seeker deportations back to Bulgaria on the basis that inhumane conditions for ppl there could breach Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

‘It was steer or they would kill me’: why Sudanese war refugees are filling prisons in Greece Prosecutors are using harsh anti-smuggling laws to jail people who have no connection to criminal offences, say migrants’ lawyers

"…They say the criminalisation of #refugees and #asylum seekers is ineffective in disrupting smuggling networks, as the real smugglers are rarely on the boat."

via @katymfallon.bsky.social & @giorgoschristides.bsky.social

With thanks to @gesanchez.bsky.social, @juliawinkler.bsky.social, the defence lawyers and the young men such as nineteen year old Justin who gave testimony from behind bars for the story.

Some of the young men have been given fines of €4million euros & described their hopelessness after arriving in Europe hoping for a new start and safety only to be jailed.

Others face imminent trials after having arrived on boats from Libya to Crete. Human rights activists seeking their acquittal say they are being criminalised simply for migration and having fled a deadly war.

‘It was steer or they would kill me’: why Sudanese war refugees are filling prisons in Greece Prosecutors are using harsh anti-smuggling laws to jail people who have no connection to criminal offences, say migrants’ lawyers

With @giorgoschristides.bsky.social, we wrote about the dozens of young men under 21 who fled Sudan & are now facing (what their lawyers say are) draconian charges under Greek anti-smuggling legislation. Many have already been handed lengthy sentences in Greece... www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Somebody's son, somebody's brother. I'm glad these boys have a picture and a name.

Bulgarian authorities have denied any wrongdoing and say an investigation is underway.

Bulgarian police ‘blocked rescue’ of teenage migrants who froze to death Report by rights groups alleges border police refused to rescue boys and blocked activists’ efforts to save them

2 humanitarian groups working near the Bulgarian border say police frustrated their efforts to reach 3 teenage boys from Egypt who later died alone in freezing conditions in December, in what is being described as just another example of Europe's deadly borders. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Drones.
Κάμερες με τεχνολογία ΑΙ.
Πύργοι επιτήρησης που βλέπουν 20 χλμ μακριά.

Νέα πολύμηνη έρευνα του Solomon αποκαλύπτει πώς η ΕΕ χρησιμοποιεί την Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη απέναντι σε όσους αναζητούν καταφύγιο σε αυτήν.

bit.ly/eu-ai-agains...

Hoy @katymfallon.bsky.social, @margueritejay.bsky.social, Deana Mrkaja, Florian Schmitz y Giorgos Christides publicamos una serie de reportajes en diferentes medios como parte de una investigación colaborativa sobre el uso de inteligencia artificial y otros sistemas automatizados en las fronteras.
🧵

Read this important collaborative investigation on AI & European borders by @inkstickmedia.com just published by @katymfallon.bsky.social, @hibai.bsky.social, @margueritejay.bsky.social, Giorgos Christides, & Florian Schmitz:

For Migrants, Artificial Intelligence Becomes a Roadblock to Europe A joint investigation reveals the extent to which AI-powered surveillance and digitization put migrants' rights at risk.

This months-long joint investigation by Inkstick, @wearesolomon.bsky.social, @elpais.com, @woz.ch, and @tagesspiegel.de illustrates how Europe’s dependence on tech-heavy solutions highlights long-held fears about migrants' privacy and violations of their rights.

After Greece's Refugee Crisis: The Rise of Hard Borders On the Greek island of Chios, refugees and advocates say the crisis never ended — it only disappeared from public attention.

I wrote a long piece at @inkstickmedia.com about the situation for refugees on Greece's Chios island, the way the journey they take has become more dangerous & violent since 2015, & how border violence/deterrence has failed to stop people from risking the crossing:

inkstickmedia.com/after-greece...