When data doubles narrate asylum: the agency of government officials and asylum applicants in datafied asylum procedures

Abstract

Governments are increasingly using digital data to support decision-making in different domains, including migration management. Whether datafication curtails or enables the agency of government officials and data subjects, and who ‘wins’ or ‘loses’ in this practice, is a much debated topic in public management. This case study into smartphone screening in the Dutch asylum procedure demonstrates varying levels of agency among stakeholders in creating and interpreting ‘data doubles’. Whereas government officials are enabled by efficiency and extra information resources, the agency of asylum seekers is generally curtailed when digital profiles narrate on their behalf, which presents new risks of misrepresentation.