Rayna Towles

Richard Hackler

English 102

4 April 2024

Human trafficking is a worldwide issue that affects millions of people, primarily women

and children. Efforts to resolve this issue have been largely unsuccessful; trafficking remains a

prominent danger. However, the situation has been improved. With the invention of newer

technologies, such as electronic health records, law enforcement can more efficiently identify

and aid victims. Unfortunately, new technology also assists traffickers in the selection of and

abduction of potential victims. When comparing the benefits and costs of technology on human

trafficking, the benefits far outweigh the negative effects. Trafficking would still occur without

the use of technology, while law enforcement attempting to recover victims would be at a great

disadvantage. Technology plays a vital role in detecting human trafficking victims, especially in

the healthcare system, and therefore benefits victims more than it harms them.

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. It involves violence, extreme

manipulation or coercion of victims, false promises, and fallacies, with the goal of exploitation

for labor or other services. Victims often feel a sense of helplessness; language barriers, fear of

traffickers, and even fear of law enforcement prevent them from seeking aid. Human trafficking

is extremely difficult to prevent, due to the elusive nature of the traffickers (Blue Campaign).

They often hide in plain sight, which makes them indistinguishable from the general public. With

very few fully preventative measures, technology is most often used to assist victims after
they’ve been abducted. Most victims directly interact with law enforcement officials and

healthcare professionals, covertly passing through without ever alerting those with the power to

assist them. Due to this, experts often circle back to hospitals in the never-ending battle of

determining the most efficient ways to identify and aid victims. (Cameron & Stocklosa)

While most medical professionals are trained to recognize the signs of trafficked people,

many are not adept at making the connection (katsanis et al). Software platforms that recognize

these signs and raise an alert would greatly increase the victim’s chance of being identified. One

such system is implemented in the electronic health records, also referred to as EHR, assigned to

each individual in the healthcare system. Biometric data, such as fingerprint, palm, iris scans,

and genetic information are all stored in the EHR. This largely prevents the misidentification of

victims and counteracts traffickers’ efforts to present false identities for their victims. Identifying

inconsistencies in the data with the software greatly reduces the possibility of human error. Once

inconsistencies have been identified, experts can be alerted to perform a more in-depth

screening.

One such software platform is known as Octavia. Octavia was implemented in three

hospitals, from 2018 to 2022. The data from each EHR was sent from the hospitals to the

program four times per hour, roughly every fifteen minutes. The program scans each file for

signs of potential abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and human trafficking. It does this by

screening for specific keywords, which can vary due to a variety of factors in the patient’s chart.

Keywords can be different for males, females, different age ranges, and geographical regions.

Special attention is paid to the identification of male victims, due to their vast
underrepresentation in discussions of the issue. If a match is detected, the file is flagged and sent

to specially trained medical professionals toidentify potential harm. The professionals meet with

the victims, and offer assistance discreetly to avoid alerting the trafficker. Over its four-year

lifespan, Octavia successfully identified almost 200 human trafficking victims, allowing them to

receive aid. This is an excellent example of technology greatly benefitting victim identification.

(duke et al)

A more specific, yet still helpful scenario occurs in another place that victims of human

trafficking very commonly pass through. Airports are essential in navigating quickly from place

to place and therefore intercept many traffickers and victims alike. Due to this, many larger

airports broadcast warnings with messages to report suspicious behavior. This use of technology

puts the general public on the lookout in addition to merely trained professionals, which

increases the likelihood that victims will be identified. Confirming that minors are traveling with

legal parents or guardians is another security protocol implemented by airports. They often do

this through document scanners that verify the validity of identification documents. The scanners

allow airport staff to verify the identity of each passenger, and be on the alert for any suspicious

activity. If they find any flags, they can easily report it to the authorities and potentially save the

victim.

New ways of aiding victims with technology are ever-emerging. One such example is the

use of Artificial Intelligence, or AI. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

have developed an algorithm that runs advertisements and social media posts through AI. The AI

evaluates and analyzes each advertisement, and detects possible connections to human

traffickers. The United Kingdom-based organization, Unseen UK, runs a similar algorithm on

data collected from the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The data from each contact is
evaluated for patterns that could help to reveal more data about the situation (pimental). This is

extremely useful if a victim can contact the hotline, but is unable to provide in-depth, relevant

information.

The spread of information regarding human trafficking is another major asset of modern

technology. It spreads awareness about warning signs such as appearing malnourished, showing

physical signs of injury or abuse, avoiding eye contact, making quick escapes from conversation,

and tenseness during social interaction, seeming to only possess scripted responses when

prompted, and lacking official identification documents. Most people can recognize a degree of

suspicion regarding others around them but are too uncertain to report such incidents.

Confidently recognizing the signs of trafficking is just one step in the prevention. Technology

allows this information to be spread to mass amounts of people quickly and effectively, through

social media, and news broadcasts. Like Unseen UK, many countries have developed mobile

applications that provide counsel in recognizing the signs, as well as the resources to report

suspicious activity easily and confidentially. Some of these applications are also equipped with

Global Positioning Systems to identify the locations of reporting parties. This allows law

enforcement to more easily pinpoint the crime scene and overall increases the efficiency of

apprehending the perpetrators. Equipping the general public with the acumen to perceive the

warning signs of human trafficking greatly increases the likelihood that victims will be

identified.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is certainly an advantageous technology in the

recovery of trafficking victims. The hotline is a key resource for many. It allows victims to seek

aid without having to alert a physical person, which may be difficult to do without also tipping
off the trafficker. While it would not likely be feasible for a victim to gain access to a phone, and

independence long enough to place a call, they may be able to text or email the hotline. This

resource plays an important role in bringing attention to each case. The hotline also collects data

from each alert, which is compiled yearly. This reveals new trends and probabilities, which

provides insight into newer tactics and warning signs to be aware of (contreras and chon).

The data is an example of helpful technology, used for spreading awareness. It outlines

the recent increase in online trafficking, where traffickers exploit victims through social media,

which brings forth a valid counterclaim. Technology does benefit victims, yes, but also harms

them by playing a significant role in the selection and abduction of potential victims. Due to

these adverse effects, some claim that technology harms victims more substantially than it

benefits them. This assertion is not entirely inaccurate. The most prominent form of technology

utilized by traffickers is the various social media platforms. Many people’s social media pages

function as a window into their lives, posting life updates, hardships, hobbies, and interests.

Traffickers use this information to exploit vulnerabilities and pinpoint the most effective

manipulation techniques for coercing their victims(contreras & chon). Sprinkling fake

advertisements over platforms like Facebook and Instagram has proved another effective way to

lure in victims, especially those enduring financial hardships looking for a quick way to earn

cash. These fake sites gather data about the user, such as their type of computer, IP

address–which can be used to track their location, and their internet provider.

Another example of technology benefitting traffickers rather than victims lies in the

anonymity of the internet. Traffickers can purchase goods and receive payments for their illegal

operations thoroughly incognito due to cryptocurrency (contreras & chon). This prevents law
enforcement from tracing the money trail back to the perpetrators. They can also manipulate and

even abduct victims without ever revealing their face or identity, which protects them if the

victim does catch on and notifies law enforcement. Access to the internet also allows traffickers

to store content that aids them in exploitation, so it is ready for use at any time. Unfortunately,

internet access is not the only type of tech traffickers use.

Apple Airtags–nondescript, quarter-sized tracking devices that can broadcast their

location from thousands of miles away–have proven to be a major tool in human trafficking. It's

easy to see how, a trafficker can easily slip the Airtag into a bag, gas cap, or even duct-taped to

the underside of a vehicle. Oftentimes, the victim is unaware that their location is no longer

private. This allows them to track victims across countries, which is dangerous because it allows

the attacker to have a constant broadcast of the victim’s location, which can be used maliciously.

(yonkunas).

Despite the plentiful examples of harmful technology under the premise of human

trafficking, it should be clear that there is no easy answer to whether or not technology benefits

victims more than it harms them. However, the role technology plays in the identification and

recovery of victims is paramount when assessing the overall impact on the issue as a whole.

Human trafficking has remained a prominent issue, and it does not appear that it will be

abolished any time soon. Even before newer technology, it was still a major problem. Due to this,

it can be inferred that removing technology from the equation would merely result in slightly

fewer trafficking cases, with greatly reduced probabilities of successfully identifying and

recovering victims. This scenario would be unfavorable to real-world situations where a dramatic

increase in victims get to return home.

 While technology presents new challenges in staying safe from traffickers, it also proves

to be an invaluable resource for those who have fallen into uncertain circumstances. It cannot

prevent trafficking, however, it can play a major role in returning our friends, coworkers, sisters,

and mothers home safely. Based on these conclusions, one can assume that the benefits of

technology for the victims of human trafficking far outweigh the harms.