For too long, the Global North has deployed digital tools to manage migration without involving those most affected. This has led to “digital othering,” where algorithms scale discrimination and strip people of their agency. To challenge this, at our November 2025 Gathering in Nairobi, Kenya, we brought together MTM Fellows and experts who bridge the gap between high-level research and lived experience. You’ll hear from Judith Cabrera on the harsh digital realities of the Mexico-U.S. border, Antonella Napolitano on European surveillance trends, Ankid Sarin on the invasion of privacy in Kashmir, and Grace Gichanga on the shifting human rights landscape in South Africa. Listen to the complete podcast here: https://bit.ly/4nkQAOR

In a piece for @open_democracy , MTM Fellow Simon Drotti challenges the way the world views displaced communities. Too often, lives are reduced to cold statistics: the number of arrivals, the number of tents, the number of rations. But a spreadsheet can’t capture the resilience, humor, creativity, and grief that define a person’s history. Simon is changing this with Memory Scroll, a social platform designed to return narrative power to those who have lived through displacement. Read Simon’s full reflection on narrative sovereignty here: https://bit.ly/3P5mS3S

The right to repair is a right to a future. That’s what drives Mathew Lubari (@mathewdukson ), our 2024 MTM Fellow. As the Co-founder of Community Creativity for Development (CC4D), he’s teaching refugee youth and women how to reclaim their technology. For him, repairing a device is a radical act of resistance against exploitation and waste. Watch as he shares his perspective from our 2025 gathering in Nairobi, and learn more about our shared mission at .

How do we move beyond research that just observes harm and toward methodologies that build power? ✊ The MTM Fellowship is built on 7 Core Principles of Participatory Methodologies. This is a living framework that governs how we work, how we allocate resources, and who leads the conversation. These principles ensure that communities impacted by surveillance and border tech are the ones defining the problems and designing the pushback. Swipe through to explore the pillars of how we are building a different world.

We are moving past the era of digital experimentation. For too long, displaced communities have been used as a testing ground for surveillance and border tech. “Nothing about us, without us” means that the people who have lived through these systems are the only ones qualified to lead the research, define the strategies, and design the pushback. Read MTM’s OpenDemocracy piece to learn more about our work: https://bit.ly/4tKdGRt

The MTM condemns the attack by an Israeli settler at the home of MTM Fellow, Issa Amro (@issaamro ). Footage and reporting by Al-Jazeera shows an attack taking place in the occupied city of Hebron on April 26, 2026, when a settler tried to break into Issa’s personal residence. Issa, his family, and community have been direct targets of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, along with the millions of Palestinians suffering under Israeli apartheid in both West Bank and Gaza. #FreePalestine

MTM Co-Founder Petra Molnar joins Aman Sethi of OpenDemocracy in the In Solidarity podcast to break down why the “Border Industrial Complex” is booming and what it means for people on the move. It’s a deep dive into how surveillance makes the world impassable for some while others move freely. But here’s the thing: if we can build a digital wall, we can also choose to tear it down. Link to the full podcast in bio.

The MTM Manifesto was one of the most important outcomes of our 2025 gathering in Nairobi, Kenya 🇰🇪 Drafted by our Fellows and people on the move, these demands represent a world where technology prioritizes care over control and solidarity over surveillance. But this isn’t just a static PDF. We intended the Manifesto to be a document to be commented on, adapted, and translated as it travels across different communities and borders. Swipe through to see the core pillars of the movement we’re building together, and read the full report at the link in bio ☝️ Which principle resonates most with you? Let us know in the comments.

Nairobi, 2025 🇰🇪 For the first time, our community gathered in person to ask a complex question: What happens when the people most impacted by border tech are the ones in charge of the narrative? The answer is in our new Impact Report. We worked with incredible Fellows and partners who are proving that the future of tech and migration can be participatory and justice-rooted. The full report is out. Tap the link in our bio to dive in 🚀

We know it’s been a while, but we are back! MTM will be a little more active on social media from hereon out, and we’re excited to share things that have been keeping us busy lately. Today, we are thrilled to launch: a report about our project, the MTM Manifesto, and a series of personal essays by our fellows, all live today on OpenDemocracy. 📍 Our report reflects on the past three years of the MTM and highlights a very special event that happened in November 2025: our first ever Global Gathering that brought together our fellows and broader community to scheme and dream about the impacts and potentials of technologies used in migration. 📍 The MTM Manifesto is the most important outcome of our Gathering and serves as a living document that sets out principle for how technology should be designed and used in migration contexts. It was drafted by our fellows and as an “live online sculpture,” and meant to be participatory, able to be commented on, adapted, and translated as it travels across communities. 📍Six MTM fellows, six stories: read personal essays by MTM fellows about how border surveillance tech has directly impacted the lives of people on the move, featured on Open Democracy’s Newsletter. Stick around for more updates! Links to in bio 🔗

Rwanda. Libya. Trump’s not innovating anything. He’s importing failed, brutal deportation schemes. 🔁 The UK tried Rwanda. It cost millions, broke international law, and sent zero people. 💸 The EU funds militias in Libya to detain, torture, and traffic migrants. Now the US wants in, flying people to countries they’ve never been to, without telling them where. So we need to ask: Who gave Trump this idea, who’s profiting, and who’s next? Because this isn’t about safety, security, or immigration policy.  It’s about dollars, deals, and dehumanization. #ELI5BSI #DeportationDiplomacy #Rwanda #Libya #FollowTheMoney #Immigration #MigrantJustice

Third time’s the charm! We are thrilled to welcome our third cohort of Migration and Technology Monitor fellows! Chosen by their peers from a pool of 510 applications from all around the world, joining us this year are: 1.⁠ ⁠Sophia Amimo - Founder of @domesticworkersreturneesofke (Domestic Workers Returnees of Kenya), an organization assisting migrant workers after facing exploitation and surveillance in the Middle East and other regions 2.⁠ ⁠Aqila Abdelkarim (@ellywords ) A medical and mental health professional with a vision to enhance and simplify access to mental health services across East Africa through an accessible platform 3.⁠ ⁠Abid - Multidisciplinary researcher focused on social justice, technology, and inclusive development in Jammu and Kashmir 4.⁠ ⁠@issaamro (Issa Amro) – A human rights defender based in Hebron city, Occupied West Bank, mapping surveillance used against Palestinians 5.⁠ ⁠Nuria Arias and Ever Martinez- Together with Pueblos de Lucha y Esperanza, Nuria and Ever are working on a graphic novel about their experiences with carceral technologies in US immigration detention Stay tuned to learn more about their work with us! Welcome, Sophia, Aqila, Issa, Abid, Nuria and Ever!