Numérique humanitaire et protection des données : colonialité, souveraineté et dignité
Digital humanitarianism and data protection : coloniality, sovereignty and dignity
Résumé
The exploitation of data by multinationals, cyber-attacks, the proliferation of disinformation operations - today's digital environment is shaken by a growing number of tensions which do not spare humanitarian aid, especially as the sector has been digitalising its operations for the last ten years. NGOs have gradually adopted a series of digital tools, including data processing software, drones, biometric devices and conversational agents, blockchains and artificial intelligence. These organisations are therefore particularly vulnerable to the excesses of surveillance capitalism and the geopolitical tensions running through the digital space. The beneficiaries are the first victims. And this brings us to the following contradiction: humanitarians - actors committed to protecting the victims of crises - have adopted digital tools that can infringe on their privacy, or even put them in danger. The aim of this thesis is to attempt to understand the nature of this paradox, which requires us to examine the different dynamics and tensions that accompany the digitalisation of the humanitarian sector. First of all, the digitisation of humanitarian aid stems from the quantification of aid, which is itself linked to donors' demands to improve the accountability of NGOs and the traceability of funds. The digitisation of the humanitarian sector is also part of a more general move by the international aid community towards the private sector. This movement is accompanied by the spread of an innovation imperative and by a solution-oriented vision of new technologies. But for researchers such as Kristin Sandvik and Mirca Madianou, this innovation imperative is more akin to a form of "techno-colonialism". The dynamics of power resulting from colonial legacies contribute to the construction of beneficiaries as potential passive 'subjects' of experimentation, at the expense of respect for their privacy. The crises are also characterised by exceptional regimes that facilitate the experimentation of technologies in a context of suspension of the legal framework in force. However, this picture can be nuanced. On a more general scale, we are witnessing a movement to regulate innovation, reflected in a series of laws such as the Data Protection Regulation (RGPD), the Digital Markets Act, the Artificial Intelligence Act, etc. These laws also affect humanitarian aid. Part of our thesis is therefore devoted to the work of data protection officers working in humanitarian NGOs. Part of our thesis is therefore devoted to the work of data protection officers attached to humanitarian NGOs. But we will also see that the latter is based on a compliance approach that is not without its limits. We will then look at a second dynamic which is contributing to increasing the risks associated with the digitisation of the international solidarity sector. In short, it concerns the shrinking of humanitarian space, linked to the exercise of state sovereignty, and its translation into informational and digital space. Firstly, we will look at how data exchanges between NGOs and host countries are perceived and regulated. These exchanges can be seen as legitimate, but also as a risk factor, particularly if they are associated with forms of state violence and the criminalisation of aid beneficiaries. Secondly, we will take into account the fact that the digitisation of our societies also accompanies and reinforces a long-term phenomenon of recompositions of sovereignty. This phenomenon is also linked to the entry onto the scene of a series of non-state actors, obviously companies such as the GAFAMs, but also other more informal groups such as hackers. The involvement of cybercombatants in contemporary conflicts is part of a long movement to challenge the State's monopoly on violence as a result of the proliferation of intra-State conflicts - against terrorist groups, for example.
L’espace numérique contemporain est agité par un nombre croissant de tensions qui n’épargnent pas les humanitaires, d’autant que le secteur a entamé depuis une dizaine d’années une numérisation de ses opérations. Ces organisations sont donc particulièrement vulnérables aux dérives du capitalisme de surveillance et des tensions géopolitiques traversant l’espace numérique. Les bénéficiaires en sont les premières victimes. Et l’on en vient à la contradiction suivante : les humanitaires — des acteurs engagés dans la protection de victimes de crises — ont adopté des outils numériques qui peuvent porter atteinte à leur vie privée, voire les mettre en danger. L’objectif de cette thèse a été de tenter de comprendre la nature de ce paradoxe, ce qui nécessite de creuser les différentes dynamiques accompagnant la numérisation de l’humanitaire. Un premier type de dynamique résulte de legs coloniaux et participe à la construction des bénéficiaires d’ONG comme de potentiels « sujet » passifs d’expérimentation numérique. Toutefois, on assiste à une échelle plus générale à un mouvement de régulation de l’innovation, qui se traduit par une série de lois comme le règlement sur la protection des données (RGPD). Une partie de notre thèse est donc consacrée au travail des délégués à la protection des données d’ONG comme régulation des expérimentations numériques menées dans des crises. Puis, on a pu étudier une deuxième dynamique contribuant à renforcer les risques liés à la numérisation des ONG. Elle concerne le resserrement de l’espace humanitaire, en lien avec l’exercice des souverainetés étatiques, et sa traduction sur le plan informationnel et numérique. On est revenue sur les façons de protéger les bénéficiaires contre ces menaces. Mais les ONG courent le risque de réduire ces derniers à être de simples « objets de protection » et des victimes passives. Mais on verra que les humanitaires s’efforcent aussi de prendre en compte leurs droits garantis par le RGPD et de défendre leur dignité.
Infos complémentaires
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Identifiant HAL : 2024COMP2850
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degree committee member :
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associated name :
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Langue originale :français
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Date de la thèse : 2024-12-17
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Informations sur la thèse : Domaine : Humanities and Social Sciences/Library and information sciences
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Accès : Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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