Digital Smugglers: Maryam Karimi at the annual International AESOP conference – GAME CHANGER

On 12th July our researcher, Maryam Karimi, represented the CALL LAb at the annual International AESOP conference – GAME CHANGER? Planning for Just and Sustainable Urban Regions – held at SciencePo in Paris.

In her presentation, titled “Digital Smugglers: Facilitators of Exploiters? Navigating the Role of ICTs in Irregular Migration,”  Maryam investigated the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and digital smugglers in modern human smuggling operations, highlighting the lack of institutional accountability surrounding the high demand for smuggling services. The presentation explicitly questioned how migration policies often overlook the interconnectedness of digital rights with fundamental rights like privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information, while allows smugglers to exploit this gap in digital rights enforcement.

We wish Maryam all the best in this exciting new personal research path!