Algorithmic Borders: Surveillance Expansion and the Limits of Accountability in EU Migration Governance
Author
Giannakis, Ilias
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-29
Pages
57
Abstract
In 2022, the EU border agency Frontex faced the most serious accountability crisis in its history. Investigations by the European Anti-Fraud Office, the European Parliament, civil society organizations, and a submission to the International Criminal Court led to the resignation of the Executive Director. No criminal cases were brought and no operations were restricted. In the following years, however, the agency's budget, mandate, and surveillance tools continued to grow. This thesis asks how such expansion was possible under unprecedented scrutiny, and what this reveals about the structural limits of accountability in technology-driven migration governance. Drawing on publicly available documents from institutions, courts, and civil society, the thesis argues that the post-2022 expansion is not a paradox but a predictable outcome of a system in which surveillance mediated by artificial intelligence creates three kinds of distance: spatial (physical separation between actors and those affected), temporal (time gaps that blur cause and effect), and legal (fragmented responsibilities and grey zones). Together, these distances make accountability impossible.
I 2022 stod EU's grænseagentur Frontex i den alvorligste ansvarlighedskrise i sin historie. Undersøgelser fra Det Europæiske Kontor for Bekæmpelse af Svig, Europa-Parlamentet, civilsamfundsorganisationer samt en indgivelse til Den Internationale Straffedomstol førte til, at den administrerende direktør trak sig. Der blev ikke rejst straffesager, og agenturets operationer blev ikke begrænset. I årene efter voksede agenturets budget, mandat og overvågningsteknologier imidlertid yderligere. Afhandlingen spørger, hvordan denne udvidelse kunne ske under den hidtil hårdeste granskning, og hvad det siger om de strukturelle grænser for ansvarlighed i teknologidrevet migrationsstyring. Med udgangspunkt i offentligt tilgængelige dokumenter fra institutioner, domstole og civilsamfund argumenterer afhandlingen for, at udvidelsen efter 2022 ikke er et paradoks, men et forventeligt resultat af et system, hvor overvågning medieret af kunstig intelligens skaber tre former for distance: rumlig (fysisk afstand mellem aktører og berørte), tidslig (tidsforskydninger, der slører årsag og virkning) og juridisk (opdelte ansvar og gråzoner). Tilsammen gør disse distancer ansvarlighed umulig.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords