Human-trafficking

In recent years, law enforcement and investigators have had to significantly adjust their approach to tackling human trafficking in the face of rapid digitalization. As technology advances, many of our social and economic activities move to a digital platform. Human traffickers have adapted to the digital age, presenting a new set of challenges for law enforcement and investigators. 

Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems. AI systems are given vast amounts of training data that will be analyzed for correlations and patterns [1]. Once the AI system analyzes these patterns it can make predictions about future states. Machine learning computer algorithms aid AI in learning to work with a large amount of data. Machine learning data and algorithms will continue to gradually improve their accuracy over time. AI systems that use machine learning take data quickly to produce actionable information. It can trace relationships between data points that may be too complex for the human mind to identify. 

The ICAC Task Force program was started in 1998 by the U.S. Department of Justice to help law enforcement agencies learn how to investigate, prevent, and combat Internet Crimes Against Children or ICAC. It was developed due to the increasing number of children and teens using the internet and technology, the availability of child sexual abuse images online, and the heightened online activity of predators seeking contact with underaged victims. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection works within the Department of Homeland Security to manage, control, and protect borders at and between ports of entry. One of the many tasks of Border Patrol agents is their role in the fight against human trafficking. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act was signed into law in 2000, initiating the fight against national human trafficking [1]. 

Child sexual abuse material or CSAM has become the more common term for child pornography. The term accurately captures the reality of these images and videos. CSAM is distributed heavily through online channels. It has become easier for individuals to perpetuate these videos and images through multiple platforms. These platforms can include social media, online gaming, and email [1]. 

The Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) is at the forefront of combating global human trafficking. ATII harnesses the power of corporate social responsibility by working with organizations to raise awareness, build intelligence, and foster technology advancements and strategic data collaboration to help stop human trafficking.

Many are not aware of the common threats/investigations that officers, analysts, and investigators face on-scene or in the lab and how computer forensics software can help solve these investigations.

The Global Forensic and Justice Center hosted a panel on The Value of Digital Evidence in Combatting Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking. The panelists included:

• Alexandria Wong, Digital Media (DOMEX) Trainer with the Global Forensic and Justice Center and FIU
• Sondra Skelaney, Gender Violence Prevention Program Coordinator with CASE and FIU
• Ailsa Slack, Director of Customer Success of ADF Solutions.

The panel focused on the role of technology, forensics, and digital evidence and revolved around four central questions which are highlighted below along with the key points discussed by the panel of subject matter experts.

Digital forensics is the science of recovering files, artifacts, and evidence from digital devices including mobile phones, tablets, computers (including Windows, Mac, and Linux), external drives, drive images, and other media storage (USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.). 

Human trafficking encompasses a set of horrific and egregious crimes plaguing our world and destroying individuals and their families. These criminals use innovative and ever-changing methods to hide their activities and keep their victims silent, making their crimes difficult to detect and their identities challenging to discover. However, the same financial motivation that pushes individuals to commit these crimes can be their undoing when law enforcement has access to the most up-to-date digital forensics software, is able to locate the bank accounts and exact transactions involved in illegal activities.

Meet Teresa Jauregui, Legal Director, for the National Child Protection Task Force, NCPTF.

Meet Aaron Kahler, Founder and Chief Executive at Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII). 

January brings awareness to Human Trafficking, a crime that involves exploiting a person for labor, services, or commercial sex. Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking and it is not only limited to the exploitation of children. Human trafficking is a global problem and can occur just about anywhere, and often involves multiple jurisdictions, whether local, state, or international.

Stopping human trafficking and modern slavery is a priority for many law enforcement agencies around the world, with specialized investigators leading the fight. The Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign defines human trafficking as involving the "use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be of any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations."

ADF Solutions’ partner recently held a global Dark Web Hackathon in advance of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) the organization that combats human trafficking through increasing awareness, facilitating intelligence integration & technology advancement, and encouraging strategic data collaboration, today announced the winners of the inaugural annual Darkwebathon. The five-day virtual event attracted more than 330 registrants and generated thousands of reports sharing the ultimate goal of creating actionable intelligence so that law enforcement agencies can be equipped with real data to make arrests. 

Smartphone Triage is becoming more and more important with the exponential increase in the number of devices and explosion of digital data. Mobile device forensic examiners can use smartphone triage as a first step in early case assessment of incoming devices. 

ADF Solutions, the leading provider of automated forensic software for investigators and lab examiners, today announced the ability for on-scene and lab investigators to leverage the facial analytics and age detection capabilities of Suspect Technologies to speed child exploitation and human trafficking investigations. 

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has changed all of our lives in many ways, including our ability to give back. In the midst of the holiday season, this is a time where people often reflect on the year and contemplate giving. So often, many of us volunteer at food pantries, organize toy drives, participate in charity fun runs, or find ways to participate in community service with others. 

ADF prioritizes digital evidence collection and provides investigators and examiners post-scan options to speed investigations. Post scan options let digital forensic investigators get fast and relevant evidence to make decisions on-scene and in the forensic lab.

ADF launches New Law Enforcement Capabilities to Speed Modern Slavery Investigations  

Bethesda, Maryland: ADF Solutions’ new Anti-Human Trafficking Search Profiles were built in conjunction with the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) to help law enforcement quickly identify and investigate human trafficking at the scene of the crime. 

Learn how to easily remove CSAM images and other properties from view

One of the most important factors in a child exploitation investigation, is having the ability to show a report to a colleague, co-worker, prosecutor, or present to present your findings in court without re-victimizing the subject of the photo, or shocking the sense of the viewer of the report. Having a professional report that still reflects the properties that need to be presented is essential to your case.

This week kicks off the 2020 National Child Protection Task Force Conference. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCPTF has moved the conference and training online as a virtual event with the focus on cyber response for missing child investigations. The topic is of vital importance since so many children around the world are online and at increased risk during the pandemic.

Child sexual exploitation and modern slavery are related aspects of human trafficking which result in the commercial exploitation of children and often being victims of Child Sexual Abuse Material creation as well.  

Investigators can leverage ADF digital forensic software on the front-line to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases

Front line investigators and digital forensic examiners are encountering an ever increasing number of images in almost every investigation they perform. This exponential growth in the volume of images can challenge investigators searching for illicit online activity, Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), extremist propaganda, or other types of image content. 

In this short video, ADF digital forensic specialist, Rich Frawley, demonstrates ADF's digital forensic image recognition and classification capabilities. 

This week, nearly 1,000 law enforcement professionals from across the United States and around the world are meeting in Jacksonville, Florida for to discuss and discover new technologies designed to promote public safety, police safety and policing techniques. 

Of all the investigations that a law enforcement agency may undertake, there may be none as difficult to deal with as crimes perpetrated against minors. The proliferation of online child exploitation material continues to be an issue worldwide, from child pornography to the facilitation of human trafficking. Luckily, investigators are not having to combat this problem alone thanks to industry solutions like those provided by ADF Solutions and the organizations below.  

January 2019 is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Human trafficking has been a federal crime in the United States since The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 was passed into law as a federal statute.  Each year since 2010 has been designated National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month with January 11th each year being observed as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.