How tech firms can do their part to end migrants’ suffering
- The plight of US-bound Chinese migrants duped by false information on social media highlights how people smugglers prey on those seeking a better life
- Tech companies must work with governments and civil society organisations to remove misinformation online that promotes illegal activity
From a high of 2.2 million temporary visas granted to Chinese nationals in 2016, only about 160,000 were granted in 2022, a fall of more than 90 per cent. This has led some Chinese citizens to take desperate measures to enter the US for a better life.
Smugglers – advertised as “travel agents” – post videos on these platforms to demonstrate the different routes and pathways migrants can take to enter the US. Many of the immigrants interviewed at the border pointed to these types of videos as one factor that had helped facilitate their arrival in the US.
With the US among the biggest targets, given its size and need for immigrants, channels on Facebook and YouTube regularly promote this sort of migration. For instance, a now removed YouTube channel gave the best routes into the US without having to hire a local guide in Mexico, who are known as coyotes.
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In addition, social media also facilitates the spread of misinformation around immigration laws. For example, many smugglers spread false information that US borders had reopened near the end of the pandemic and that it was easier to take advantage of laws allowing migrants to claim asylum.
Migrants are harmed by acting on these false claims, getting arrested when they try to enter the country and being deported back to their home nation. Most of this is never mentioned by the human traffickers who naturally benefit from the misinformation and the demand for the services it creates.
Social media has clearly changed the landscape of how people try to move across borders, and one unfortunate result has been a surge in misinformation that can put migrants at risk of exploitation and even death. Effective partnerships between researchers, governments and social media companies can play a significant role in helping ensure the safety of many people across the world.
Mohammed Sinan Siyech is a doctoral candidate at the Islamic and Middle East Studies Department at the University of Edinburgh and a non-resident associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi