ABSTRACT
We now live in a world where a huge amount of data relevant to understanding migration is being produced by the private sector, through people’s use of digital devices and new technologies. These data are being produced in real time and have the potential to inform many different aspects of migration policy. There are also significant risks associated with using such data if it should fall into the wrong hands and if there are insufficient safeguards to protect the rights of migrants. While investments in new technologies grow across high-income countries, there is also a risk or a widening gap between information-rich and information-poor countries, with implications for global migration governance. This chapter discusses ongoing efforts to leverage “Big Data” to inform migration policy and suggests ways in which to enhance public-private data cooperation to accelerate ethical re-use of private data for public policy purposes.
