Data is k2 stopping IPR infringement

7.2 Internet/technology as part of the solution Although the internet and other networked technologies have facilitated trafficking, most technologists suggest that technology also be viewed as part of the trafficking solution, typically starting with the premise that the internet and related technologies are widely used and here to stay.196 The primary recurring themes in this regard are provided in the following section. i. Inevitable migration of sex ads? Inevitable migration of advertising from one online site to another is one of the most common reasons cited for not working to shut down online sex advertising, which mingles trafficked people with non-exploited women in prostitution. Because business will simply migrate from one site to another, efforts to attack any one internet platform are seen to be futile. 197 Indeed, after pressure from numerous Attorneys General due to trafficking concerns, craigslist closed its “Adult Services” section both in Canada and the US in 2010, only to have posts selling sex migrate to its “therapeutic services” section as well as other online sites, such as (in Canada) backpage.com, sp411.com, erslist.com, and perb.ca.198 While such migration can easily occur and is often cited, it is not clear whether all ads do, indeed, migrate. A leading classified ads consultancy found that in the two years since craigslist stopped accepting paid advertising from escorts and escort services, other sites have not collectively generated as much revenue as craigslist did from ads selling sex.199 Estimates show a $7.3 million dollar reduction over craigslist’s estimated $44.6 million profits from sex ads in 2010, suggesting some ads did not migrate. 200 Immediately following craigslist’s closure of its adult services section, online prostitution advertising is reported to have fallen by more than 50%, although this number is contested by backpage, that states its “adult, dating and other paid ad content” increased approximately 29% when craigslist shuttered its adult services section. 201 Thus, while migration can and does happen, losing a major online marketplace may at least be a temporary setback to traffickers. ii. Visibility assists law enforcement Some in law enforcement think their job to identify trafficking cases is made easier when traffickers’ crimes are “visible” online and can, thus, be traced. When perpetrators use various communication technologies to share information, advertise victims, and coordinate among themselves, they increase the chances of leaving digital traces that can be followed. 202 Law enforcement officers can thus, more easily track patterns in credit card transactions, mobile phone calls, GPS patterns, plane tickets, and apartment rentals of potential suspects. 203 Forensic examiners can recover digital evidence from computers and other electronic devices. Advertisements and online sales of trafficking victims can also leave digital traces.204 Officers can monitor suspected individual’s activities online or conduct webbased reverse stings by posting decoy advertisements online or responding to real online ads.205 And, for the many law enforcement agencies with limited resources, knowing where traffickers and victims reside online reduces the time and resources required to find victims. Some companies that house ads selling sex, including craigslist and backpage, publically express willingness to work with law enforcement to detect human trafficking cases. Attorneys general and informants report, however, that this willingness has not actually resulted in meaningful action.206 Other sex-advertising sites are less cooperative. There is also substantial skepticism from critics that law enforcement and society can rely upon companies that derive significant profits from the online sex industry to regulate one of the most profitable parts of their industry.207 While technology firms may be well placed to understand their own technology, the profits generated by sex ads may make voluntary monitoring less than thorough for fear of driving away profitable business. iii. Developing anti-trafficking innovations Various technology companies express interest in helping combat human trafficking and are developing technological tools to further this effort, such as data mining and new identification technologies. Some financial institutions are partnering with law enforcement to shut down payment systems in related cases. iv. Data mining Manually sorting through online advertisements is a daunting task that strains resources. Basic data-mining techniques such as automated data collection, natural language processing, and digital mapping allow investigators to respond to potential cases more efficiently. 208 Automated data collection can filter, flag, aggregate, and store online ads that appears to feature underage victims, thus narrowing the pool of online classified ads that must be reviewed by humans. 209 Scientific minds in the Natural Language Group at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute are exploring computational linguistic and machine-learning methods to develop algorithms designed to detect possible cases involving individuals who demonstrate qualities that place them at particular risk of human trafficking. 210 v. New identification technologies Investigation of sex trafficking often starts with the photos used in the advertisement of sex trafficking victims. Microsoft has developed PhotoDNA and offered for free to law enforcement, to help match photos of human trafficking victims to photos of missing children and locate copies of pornographic images online. In 2009, it donated the technology to those fighting online child pornography. 211 Anti-trafficking organizations use the technology to inform online service providers to remove copies of the photos.212 Facebook is reported to currently employ this technology. Microsoft has also funded research grants in 2012-2013 to study how technology affects human trafficking in the US, specifically in connection with the commercial and sexual exploitation of children, the results of which will be published shortly.213 vi. Global mapping New mapping technology uses location-based information to map the location of individuals mentioned in the online ads, which enables monitoring and tracking of victims and survivors over geographic space.214 In April 2013, internet search giant Google launched the Google Global Human Trafficking Hotline Network, which covers the US, Europe and Asia. Every time the network receives a call, factual data provided by the caller and the caller’s location is logged and analyzed. As the network builds information, it will reveal trafficking locations and patterns, which will be shared with law enforcement through three designated nongovernmental organizations. vii. Public-private partnerships In the related crime of commercial child pornography, the US Treasury Department's Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes reported in 2011 that commercial child pornography had dropped to "effectively zero" from a multi-billion dollar industry six years earlier. This dramatic change was a result of cooperation with the private sector, which shut down distribution and payment mechanisms for child porn as well as increased enforcement efforts. 215 The Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography was established in 2006 and includes 35 financial and credit companies, such as MasterCard, Visa and American Express. While commercial child pornography has shrunk dramatically as a result of the coalition, the non-commercial distribution of child pornography has reportedly “exploded.”216 LexisNexis, the world’s largest electronic database for legal and public records, received public recognition from the US State Department for helping develop a database of human trafficking social service providers and creating various online resources for attorneys working on human trafficking cases. 217 These types of public-private interface are promising developments if technological advancement is to check rather than augment rates of human trafficking. viii. Public awareness There is also general agreement that the internet and mobile technology can be effectively used to raise public awareness, advocacy and activism by educating the public. Online platforms help anti-trafficking organizations share information and coordinate their efforts. Crowdsourcing, flagging and mapping technologies have been cited as effective means of monitoring social media and advertisement websites for instances of trafficking. 218 Digital mapping, such as that produced by Slavery Map, can record and display instances of trafficking. 219 Technology can therefore play an important role in ensuring that public outrage at this horrendous crime translates into political engagement, resource commitments and, ultimately, accountability.