How Switzerland And Europe Use AI Tech For Migration Control

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Drones, surveillance towers and mobile phone data extraction: European nations, including Switzerland, are ramping up the use of technologies for border and migration control. The full extent of these developments has been revealed in an international investigation.

This content was published on February 4, 2025 - 15:18 11 minutes Giorgos Christides, Deana Mrkaja, Katy Fallon, Florian Schmitz, Hibai Arbide Aza, Marguerite Meyer

The regional district of Evros on the north-easternmost tip of Greece is nestled between Bulgaria and Turkey. Farmlands and small villages line a motorway, and red signs warn against entering prohibited areas. The cafés are filled with soldiers and police – the region is a highly militarised border area. Along 192 kilometres, the River Evros forms the external border of the European Union (EU) between Greece and Turkey. The river starts in the rugged Bulgarian mountains, from which it meanders through a wild landscape before flowing into the Aegean Sea in the south. This area is hot and humid in summer, a paradise for mosquitoes. The winters are harsh.

It was on one of these cold winter mornings in 2022, when a dozen people boarded a rubber boat to cross the River Evros to reach Greece. The river appears calm, but its current is strong. Despite the danger, the group managed to reach the other side, stepped onto EU soil and hid in the dense bushes along the riverbank. But they had no idea that they had been monitored – even before they left Turkey. According to Greek police files used for this investigation, the migrants were tracked shortly after their arrival by Greek officials using precise location data from the regional centre of the Automated Border Surveillance System (ABSS). This system also covers areas up to fifteen kilometres deep into Turkish territory.

Europe increasingly relies on high-tech systems to keep migrants out. The growing arsenal includes not only drones and thermal-imaging cameras at the external EU borders. It also features dialect recognition software, the analysis of personal mobile phone data and other tools within the EU and its member states – which also include Switzerland. The Alpine nation is not a member of the EU but is part of the Schengen area.

This complex surveillance network stretches from the River Evros in south-east Europe all the way to the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom. And it increasingly integrates artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The extent of this migration surveillance network has been revealed in a major international investigation. An international team of six journalists conducted more than 100 interviews in nine countries with authorities, activists, asylum-seekers, and security forces. They also analysed numerous public and confidential documents.

MENAFN05022025000210011054ID1109170069