Human Trafficking – Discussion #3 Reply

Respond to the follow post with 200+ words. Reflect on post.

Since we have the freedom to discuss any concept from our readings, for this post I would like to address the use of technology in human trafficking. Traffickers use any type of means necessary to accomplish their trafficking goals and one of them is the usage of the Internet. Kakar mentioned the famous site Craigslist and old one Myspace as online platforms that have been used in the past for human trafficking purposes (2017). The Internet is providing many ways for the business to continue to grow and the traffickers get creative with the resources available online. For instance, traffickers will post advertising content to attract nannies, models, dancers, etc.… luring them into their operations (Kakar, 2017). Another component of technology in this criminal business is the purchase and manipulation of disposal phones. This keeps communication flowing while maintaining their incognito profile and not getting caught. Current mobile phones have a feature that transmit false identification allowing these offenders to get as many phones as desired (Kakar, 2017).
Additionally, in the same context of Internet and technology, a service that has been used to recruit females is the mail-order bride. Kakar pointed out that research has been done on the subject reporting that the mail-order bride sites may involve sexual exploitation and purchase of online victims (2017). A few years ago, during a United States Senate hearing, this service was found to be associated to human trafficking, which validates the point, this so-called service has been a front for all types of trafficking to take place. (Kakar, 2017)
At the end, there are efforts being made to combat human trafficking online. The Convention on Cybercrime, the Interpol, the G8 Sub-group on High- Tech crime and the Virtual Global Taskforce are a few global efforts to terminate the human trafficking business (Kakar, 2017). In the past, the Interpol has rescued many human trafficking victims; more than 2,700 were released from their traffickers. This encourages for regular citizens to take part and be active if needed and say something if they see something.