Introduction

A news story on the front page of the UNHCR website is anchored with a photograph of a young man holding a mobile phone, head turned away from the camera to conceal his identity (UNHCR 2013). The viewer is invited to go behind the photograph and read the story of Ahmed, a Syrian refugee who has fled to Colombia. Ahmed’s story highlights the plight of millions of Syrians who have been forcibly displaced, many of whom have also fled to faraway places like Colombia to seek asylum. Ahmed tells how he keeps in contact with family and friends via the internet but that he worries that contacting his relatives may place them in danger. The photograph and story feature two of the most common and ubiquitous Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) used by forced migrants—the mobile phone and the Internet—and focus attention on the benefits and the risks that these ICTs pose for their users. Indeed, the image and story on the front page of the UNHCR website underscore the ways in which ICTs have woven themselves into the everyday life of refugees. ICTs both provide new opportunities and introduce new risks for those who flee and those who stay behind.