Technology companies, including Apple, Facebook, Mastercard, Microsoft and Palantir, are seeking sustainable ways of measuring, connecting and identifying displaced people. A 2015 United Nations commitment to a “legal identity for all” by 2030 means that nearly all major aid agencies are developing digital identity programmes to deal with displacement. The UN has also been working on the development of an international standard for how people can be identified in disaster situations. The World Bank estimates that over 143 million people in Latin America, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will become climate refugees by 2050.
Technology companies, including Apple, Facebook, Mastercard, Microsoft and Palantir, are seeking sustainable ways of measuring, connecting and identifying displaced people. A 2015 United Nations commitment to a “legal identity for all” by 2030 means that nearly all major aid agencies are developing digital identity programmes to deal with displacement. However, critics argue that such programmes could potentially expose vulnerable people to exploitation. The World Bank estimates that over 143 million people in Latin America, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will become climate refugees by 2050.