Executive Summary

This report, jointly produced by Princeton University and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), provides an overview of the opportunities, limitations, and risks of using call detail record (CDR) data for monitoring human mobility and displacement. While the humanitarian sector has expanded its data collection efforts in recent years, data gathering with current methods remains costly, challenging, or sometimes impossible. CDR presents a potentially valuable opportunity for humanitarian actors and stakeholders interested in the pursuit of mobility and displacement monitoring to expand upon their existing methods. This report sought to address the question: to what extent is CDR use ethically permissible and practically feasible in shaping humanitarian response in diverse displacement contexts, by enabling better analysis of mobility? Focusing on ten case studies, including desk research and interviews, CDR use cases were categorized into three areas: humanitarian response, disaster preparedness, and understanding general mobility patterns. The research focused on potential use cases for responding to displacement in humanitarian contexts, though other causes of mobility raised in case studies were also considered. Findings are divided among practical, regulatory, and ethical considerations for CDR use:

Practical: Because CDR data tracks SIM cards, the potential value of CDR is highest in places where many individuals have a personal SIM that is used frequently. Skewed cell phone use patterns can lead to data bias. The geographic precision of CDR relies on available cell tower coverage. When there are multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) in a country, multiple data sharing agreements would be required. Presence of multiple MNOs may also mean people have multiple SIM cards, which may skew analysis. Finally, there are significant practical barriers to monitoring mobility and displacement in cross-border crises.

Regulatory: No explicit international legal framework governing the use of CDR exists. Generally, national data protection laws in case studies provide low data protection but should not hinder humanitarian organizations’ access to CDR data. Humanitarian agencies must also consider the advantages and disadvantages of different data sharing models for implementing a CDR program, including: data sharing agreements with MNOs, working in partnership with national governments, or working with third-party organizations.

Ethical: The use of CDR data has direct and indirect ethical impacts on displaced populations. To mitigate ethical risks, proper data management is essential at every step, including data collection, security, analysis, retention, and publication. Direct impacts of CDR use may include border closures, risks to irregular migrants, targeting of vulnerable groups by malicious actors, and exclusion of subgroups from analyses and services due to biased data. Indirect impacts may include negative effects on humanitarian agency and host country relationships, precedent-setting for sensitive data use, incentives to continue CDR programs despite potential issues, and reputational damage to humanitarian organizations.

Before deciding to set up a CDR program, further investigation and analysis including consultations with displaced populations, risk-benefit analyses, and stakeholder mapping should be conducted. Prior to setting up a CDR program in each context, humanitarian actors should: • Involve relevant stakeholders, including displaced populations, civil society, and humanitarian organizations, in the project’s design and implementation. • Establish CDR infrastructure before displacement-causing events occur. One of the added values of CDR is its timeliness; therefore, a CDR program would need to be set up well in advance of its use. • Improve the organization’s data management capacity at both the HQ and country office levels. Agencies and actors should consider creating an internal data and technical working group or unit within the organization for all emerging technologies, including CDR.