Unmasking human trafficking: AI reveals hidden recruitment networks
The other side of AI?
From phys.org
Most anti-human trafficking efforts focus on breaking up sex sales. However, new
research (behind a paywall - Jim) in the journal
Manufacturing & Service Operations Management is turning its attention to where trafficking truly beginsrecruitment.
Using machine learning to analyze millions of online ads, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered patterns that link deceptive job offers to sex trafficking networks. By mapping the connections between recruitment and sales locations, the study reveals a hidden supply chainone that can now be exposed and interrupted earlier in the trafficking process.
"By combining data science with deep web analysis, we are helping to uncover trafficking networks and provide law enforcement with tools to intervene before exploitation occurs," says Hamsa Bastani of the University of Pennsylvania. "Our research reveals the hidden supply chains of sex trafficking, showing how recruitment often begins with false promises in vulnerable communities."
The study, "Unmasking Human Trafficking Risk in Commercial Sex Supply Chains with Machine Learning," finds that traffickers often lure victims from economically vulnerable areas, such as suburban communities, rather than large cities where most sex sales occur. This surprising discovery shifts the conversation about how trafficking networks operate and where interventions should be focused.
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