By: Elise Swanson
Technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to human trafficking. It is used both by traffickers to further the recruitment, control, and exploitation of victims and by those seeking to detect, investigate, and prevent human trafficking. This semester, my team researched how technology, specifically social media, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, is used in human trafficking for the International Justice Mission, Romania.
Technology is used by traffickers because it allows for faster, cross-border communication and increased anonymity. Interestingly, social media is subject to algorithmic exploitation by traffickers. Social media algorithms seek to personalize and recommend content based on users’ interactions with different online information. Advertisements can be designed to appear to specific people through appealing offers for jobs, financial assistance, or romantic opportunities. However, as the Polaris Project has identified, algorithms can be exploited to reach victims as well. Through tailored advertisements and posts, NGOs and other advocates can reach victims’ personal feeds and also provide others who may be sought by traffickers with information about how to identify and avoid trafficking situations.
Artificial intelligence can be used for identification and database management. When looking for a victim or trafficker, AI can be used for facial recognition to sift through vast amounts of images quickly, far faster than human capabilities. AI can also be used to identify locations, such as by matching patterns (for example, a wallpaper pattern or pattern on a bedspread) in a photo to other images or locations with that same pattern. One issue with technology and human trafficking is that it changes and develops so rapidly, over so many jurisdictions, that compiling databases of information is essentially impossible. AI can help organize and compile information in a manner that is easily understandable for the user, such as law enforcement.
Traffickers use blockchain cryptocurrencies to collect payment, and also to purchase advertisement space. On the flipside, blockchain technology can be used to track the purchases of those advertisements and the transactions themselves to expose trafficking networks.
Researching the use of technology in human trafficking was both interesting and a disheartening experience. It was daunting to realize how frequently and in how many ways there are that traffickers use technology. However, technology is a double-edged sword, and I found that the response to the enormous task of catching up to traffickers’ utilization of technology has been equally, if not more, impressive. For example, Tech Against Trafficking has compiled an interactive map of over 300 digital tools that have been developed to combat human trafficking online. Many of those tools are aimed at everyday use by the public, so we can all participate in combating human trafficking online.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.