Locked In Locked Out How Data Breaches Shatter Refugees Safety The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

pThe massive data leak targeting over 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey occurred amidst escalating violence and discrimination against them in the countryppRawia is a Syrian activist in Turkey and a mother of three beautiful children She kept her children at home locked the doors closed the windows and told them not to speak loudly so people wouldnt hear them speak Arabic Her fear for their safety increased after the outbreak of racist violence invoked against Syrians in the Turkish town of Kayseri which spread like wildfire to other cities She hoped the walls would shield them so she kept her kids at home Nonetheless this sense of relative safety shattered when she learned about the leak of Syrian refugees data She hurried to her device searching for her name and was shocked when she found her name her childrens names and all their personal information listed in the leaked databaseppSafety became a distant dream for us They attacked us in the streets forcing us to seek refuge in our homes But when our data was leaked the walls of our homes could no longer protect us she told TIMEP ppThe datawhich included information of children and minorscontains names dates of birth parents names ID numbers and places of residenceppThe massive leak of personal data of over 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey occurred amidst a sequence of violence against Syrians and has raised deep concerns among refugees and human rights advocates The datawhich included information of children and minorscontains names dates of birth parents names ID numbers and places of residence Notably Syrians who were previously registered as protected persons and relocated to other countries or obtained the Turkish citizenship also found their data in the leaked database ppThis leak cannot be seen as an isolated incident as it coincides with escalating racist violence and systemic discrimination against Syrian refugees in multiple Turkish cities Despite the severity of the breach the Turkish government has not provided any concrete action plans to mitigate the harm or protect those affected nor has the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR commented on the leak or offered any support to the impacted individuals leaving them vulnerable to further exploitation and harm ppUnauthorized disclosure of such data can lead to serious repercussions for the impacted individuals Malicious actors could misuse this data in blackmail fraud scams phishing organized crimes and other nefarious activities Indeed anyone should be concerned if their data has been leaked but for refugees it is exclusively alarmingppSyrian refugees in Turkey are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of such breaches due to their precarious legal status and limited resources which compound the threats to their safety and exacerbate systemic discrimination Moreover Syrians in Turkey under temporary protection do not have the right to travel between provinces without a permit or move their city of residence easily Therefore the impact cannot be viewed through the same lens if the targeted individuals were Turkish citizens ppSyrian refugees in Turkey are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of such breaches due to their precarious legal status and limited resourcesppIn Turkey an ID is required to issue a SIM card Previous instances have shown that stolen personal information of foreign nationals particularly Syrians has been used to issue SIM cards without their consent These SIMs have been used in various kinds of illegal activities including human trafficking illustrating the critical risk posed by such data breaches In a survey of 869 respondents residing in Turkey over 56 percent reported that their stolen personal information was used to issue SIM cards without their knowledge or consent ppJumana is one of these victims She was summoned to court in connection with a case involving a SIM card registered in her name that was used by a human trafficking gang Its draining both emotionally and financially it was very traumatizing to be interrogated by the police We lost everything in Syria we lost everything in the earthquake yet I have to pay for my lawyerppSyrian dissidents in Turkey have serious concerns about the potential impacts of this data breach Turkey is the host of many Syrian opposition bodies such as the Syrian National Council and the Interim Government as well as numerous civil society organizations Syrian dissidents have been previously targeted beyond the Syrian borders by the Assad regime and other nonstate actors involved in the conflict These malicious actors could exploit the leaked personal information to carry out targeted attacks on Syrians residing in Turkey ppThe potential prospective meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar alAssad a move toward normalization with the Assad regime has heightened Syrian dissidents concerns Erdogans persistence on the meeting is influenced by internal and external factors Internally there is the pressure of the opposition and the increasing antiSyrian sentiments Externally there is a regional trend toward normalization with Assad ppThe possibility of SIM swapping raises concerns that state or staterelated actors could take over the targets social media accounts and emailsppSuch a move coupled with the previous incidents of transnational repression in Turkey by regimes such as Iran China and Saudi Arabia exacerbates the vulnerability of Syrian dissidents They are increasingly worried about their safety and the safety of their families and loved ones fearing that all of this could result in cooperation between the two states in repressing themppThis breach not only poses a physical risk but also significant digital risks It increases the likelihood of targeting by social engineering a malicious action aimed to trick someone to reveal sensitive information blackmailing defamation disinformation and harassment The possibility of SIM swapping raises concerns that state or staterelated actors could take over the targets social media accounts and emails Such a takeover could expose sensitive data of other activists beneficiaries and victims of atrocitiesinformation that humanitarian workers and human rights defenders may obtain through their work and interactions with the population they serveppSyrian women in Turkey face heightened risks due to their intersecting identities as both women and refugees This combination puts them at risk of genderbased violence trafficking exploitation discrimination and stigma Women subjected to genderbased harassmentwhether online or offlineare more likely to become socially isolated For women refugees this isolation is even more severe as they also lack the support systems that might be available to citizens ppHuda is a single mother seeking a divorce from an abusive partner She shared her harrowing experience of being a victim of a privacy breach to TIMEP in an unrelated incident to this latest data leak To retaliate her expartner gained access to her personal information including her identification number and used it to swap her SIM card taking over her accounts on social media and email and iCloud in addition to her egovernment account ppHe then published private pictures of her in human trafficking groups falsely claiming she provides sex services That resulted in her social isolation from her Syrian community and Turkish neighbors threats from her family and genderbased harassment both online and offlineppShe feels trapped I am imprisoned here I cant move to another city I cant seek refuge in another country I cant return to SyriappHudas harrowing experience is not unique it illustrates the vulnerability of Syrian women in dealing with the multiplied risk due to their gender and refugee status Patriarchy and lack of protection and support deepen their isolation and exposure to exploitation ppFor women activists the situation is similarly frightening The Assad regime has been internationally condemned for genderbased violence against women dissidents Whether in Syria or exile those women have been targeted by the Syrian regime and related actors both online and offline The recent exposure of their personal information in Turkey has increased the looming risk of the regimes threats being facilitated by the leaked datappDespite the serious risk of the breach the Turkish governments response has been inadequate characterized by a lack of transparency and failure to take substantive actions ppThe ministry of interior issued a statement renouncing the severity of the breach this is not enough to address the root causes or severe consequences for the affected individuals Later another statement by the Directorate of Migration Management announced that the data was not uptodate and did not match the ministrys current records ppDespite the serious risk of the breach the Turkish governments response has been inadequate characterized by a lack of transparency and failure to take substantive actionsppThe interior ministrys statement announced the arrest of the admin of the Telegram channel that published the data a 14yearold minor but did not share any updates about the investigation or the sources of this data If a minor made the data public on Telegram how did he obtain it ppThe statement has also downplayed the severity of the leak and overlooked its nature as a targeted harm against a certain group of people First the timing is not coincidental it came amidst massive racist attacks escalated against Syrians Second assuming that the immigration database was hacked the published data was filtered to leak only the information of SyriansppMoreover this statement sounds more like a public relations step than an attempt to tackle the subject matter efficiently ppThis inaction has not only concerned Syrians but also Turkish civil society and politicians such as Member of the Turkish Parliament Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu who expressed his frustration with the governments failure to address this violation of data protection law which he called a scandal and demanded accountability for potential future crimes ppSyrians impacted by this breach are caught in uncertainty Although Turkish authorities issued some statements they have not provided any concrete action plans to mitigate the harm or protect those affected Despite the Telegram channel being taken down the damage had already been done and there is no record of how many times the data was downloaded how it is being circulated across platforms or whether it has been shared on the dark webppFurthermore neither the government nor the UNHCR have offered any form of support for affected individuals leaving them alone vulnerable to further exploitation and harmppThis alarming incident is not only a violation of privacy it is a targeted threat to the safety and dignity of some of the most vulnerable individualsppThe right to privacy is a fundamental human right and refugees have a right to it The exposure of Syrian refugees personal data in Turkey is a stark reflection of the inadequate protection of displaced people This alarming incident is not only a violation of privacy it is a targeted threat to the safety and dignity of some of the most vulnerable individuals ppIn response to this breach the Turkish government must take decisive and comprehensive action This includes replacing refugees ID numbers providing protection and relocation for highrisk individuals dedicating resources for financial and legal aid and offering psychosocial support for people impacted by the breach Additionally transparency in the investigations is crucial and the Turkish authorities need to keep the public informed and ensure that justice is served for hatedriven crimes The government must also collaborate with refugees to address their concerns and needs ppThere is an urgent need for digital literacy programs to enhance refugees digital security This work requires collaboration between the government civil society and international organizations to fill this gap and empower one of the most vulnerable populations ppThis breach not only threatens the safety of Syrian refugees in Turkey but also presents a concerning pattern of the treatment of refugees and their digital rights across the world It asserts the urgent need for international standards to protect refugees data and their human rights regardless of where they reside and what their legal status is these standards must be universal International organizations are responsible for holding states into account when they fail to uphold their international human rights obligations including protecting refugees digital rights ppUNHCRs silence is alarming and it reflects a broader pattern of international neglect regarding refugees digital rights UN agencies and international organizations have a vital role to playnot only in providing funding and creating dedicated support programs but also in developing an international framework for refugees data protection and advocating for protecting displaced peoples digital rights ppTech companies especially social media platforms also have a huge responsibility to prevent the circulation and misuse of leaked data They must work closely with impacted communities and host governments to remove the leaked data and to support impacted people in securing their accounts and helping them in case accounts are taken over ppAll of these immediate actions could help in mitigating the harm However there must be longterm solutions to prevent future breaches Refugees and displaced people must be protected both in the digital spaces and beyondppPlease note that all names are pseudonyms due to security concernspp Noura Aljizawi is a Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab at the University of Torontos Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy She conducts comprehensive research on the intersection of technology human rights and global security with a specific focus on targeted digital threats against civil society digital authoritarianism and digital transnational repressionpp
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