As border management evolves through the adoption of new technologies, innovation must go hand in hand with respect for fundamental rights, privacy, and societal values.
Within ORION, ethics is not treated as an additional requirement to be addressed at the end of the development process. Instead, it is embedded from the very beginning, helping ensure that technological innovation develops in a way that is both effective and responsible.
This article highlights the contribution of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Cyber and Data Security Lab (CDSL), and explores the role of ethics, privacy, and data protection in the project.
Why start with ethics?
Border management is a complex area where security objectives intersect directly with privacy, data protection, and other fundamental rights.
When innovative technologies are developed for this context, ethical and legal considerations need to be taken into account from the earliest stages of the project. This approach reflects the principle of data protection by design, established under European data protection legislation, which requires safeguards to be considered and integrated throughout the development process.
By addressing these considerations early, projects can better anticipate risks, identify potential challenges, and build solutions that are both compliant and respectful of the rights of individuals.
In ORION, this perspective helps ensure that technological innovation and fundamental rights protection progress together rather than being treated as competing objectives.
Key ethical considerations in emerging border technologies
The development and deployment of new technologies for border management raise several important ethical and societal questions.
Transparency
People should be able to understand what technologies are being used, for what purposes, and how information is processed. Transparency is particularly relevant when AI-supported tools are used to assist border authorities in decision-making processes.
Fairness
Technologies should perform consistently and avoid creating unintended biases or discriminatory outcomes. Assessing fairness throughout development and testing is therefore an important part of responsible innovation.
Accountability
The introduction of advanced technological tools should not blur responsibility for decisions. Clear governance structures, human oversight, and defined responsibilities remain essential to ensure that technology serves as a support mechanism rather than a substitute for human judgment.
How ORION embeds ethics, privacy, and data protection
Ethics, privacy, and data protection are integrated throughout ORION's activities and reflected across the project's different work streams.
A key element is the project's approach to data management, which places particular emphasis on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Data is processed on clearly identified lawful grounds and according to core data protection principles such as lawfulness, purpose limitation, data minimisation, and storage limitation.
The project also benefits from a dedicated Legal and Ethical Compliance Framework, which provides guidance and monitoring throughout implementation. This framework supports the consortium in addressing legal and ethical requirements during technology development, stakeholder engagement activities, and pilot preparations.
Particular attention is given to areas such as:
- Fundamental rights protection
- Informed consent procedures
- Research ethics
- Identification and mitigation of potential risks, including bias, discrimination, and stigmatisation
These efforts are reinforced by an independent External Ethics Board, which will provide additional oversight and expert guidance throughout the project.
Why stakeholder engagement matters
Developing innovative security solutions requires more than technical expertise. It also requires dialogue.
Engaging researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders helps bring diverse perspectives into the discussion, allowing projects to better understand operational needs, societal concerns, and policy priorities.
This approach is already reflected in ORION's ongoing outreach activities. In June 2026, ORION participated in the Projects to Policy Seminar, co-organised by DG HOME and the European Research Executive Agency (REA) within the CERIS community. Represented by UBITECH and VUB, the project contributed to discussions on emerging policy priorities in border management and exchanged views with European institutions, security practitioners, and fellow Horizon Europe projects.
Such exchanges help ensure that research and innovation remain connected to real-world needs and contribute to future policy and operational developments.
Responsible innovation at the heart of ORION
For VUB, the key message is clear: technological advancement, security, and the protection of fundamental rights should go hand in hand.
Responsible innovation is not about choosing between security and rights. It is about designing solutions that achieve security objectives while respecting the values and principles upon which European societies are built.
By embedding ethics, privacy, transparency, and accountability throughout its activities, ORION seeks to contribute to a future where innovation supports both effective border management and public trust.