Digital Solidarity and Ethical Tech for Refugees: Why We Need to Care More and Code Less

Since 2015, the so-called refugee crisis has prompted an explosion of mobile applications and other initiatives aimed at helping refugees navigate the spaces of Fortress Europe, connect with useful resources, access opportunities, and integrate into the destination country. Guided by faith in the power of technologies to initiate change, different fringes of society—humanitarian organizations, private entrepreneurs, tech corporations, volunteers, and grassroots organizations—have increasingly relied on digital solutions to circulate solidarity across borders. This article reflects on the tensions that characterize cross-border digital solidarity by looking at how we can reconcile the ethics of “doing social good” with the more discriminatory practices of data collection that affect the refugee body. The article argues that attention needs to be paid to the implementation of mindful filtering practices as an alternative framework for more ethical uses of technology that center around care as a guiding principle and value.