German migration officials have used a system to scan migrants’ mobile devices for information 8,900 times since it was introduced in September, 2017, officials say.
The officials through the device found information pertinent to asylum requests in about 900 cases.
Officials at the country’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) provided the information in response to a question from members of The Left party in the legislature.
The system was put into place so that officials could check device data for clues in cases where there were doubts about an individual’s identity or origin.
This will help in making decisions about asylum requests, since a person coming from a country deemed safe would have no right to claim asylum.
About two-thirds of refugees arriving in Germany and seeking asylum lack identity papers, according to BAMF.
But 70,000 asylum seekers have come to Germany since September 2017, and the end of January, when the information was collated, meaning that not every migrant’s mobile device has been scanned.
The party also complained that there was no way to gauge whether the checks were proportionate or necessary and that no answer was given to the question about whether the checks focused on migrants from particular countries.
dpa/NAN
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2017/11/24/news/canada-grants-refugee-status-in-about-60-of-migrant-cases/
