The Rise of Mobile and the Diffusion of Technology-Facilitated Trafficking

In this report, researchers at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) reveal how those involved in human trafficking have been quick to adapt to the 21st-century global landscape. While the rapid diffusion of digital technologies such as mobile phones, social networking sites, and the Internet has provided significant benefits to society, new channels and opportunities for exploitation have also emerged. Increasingly, the business of human trafficking is taking place online and over mobile phones. But the same technologies that are being used for trafficking can become a powerful tool to combat trafficking. The precise role that digital technologies play in human trafficking still remains unclear, however, and a closer examination of the phenomenon is vital to identify and respond to new threats and opportunities.This investigation indicates that mobile devices and networks have risen in prominence and are now of central importance to the sex trafficking of minors in the United States. While online platforms such as online classifieds and social networking sites remain a potential venue for exploitation, this research suggests that technology facilitated trafficking is more diffuse and adaptive than initially thought. This report presents a review of current literature, trends, and policies; primary research based on mobile phone data collected from online classified sites; a series of firsthand interviews with law enforcement; and key recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders moving forward

"Looking is not as bad as touching - or is it?" Considering risk in offenders who use child sexual exploitation material

There has been much debate about the availability of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) on the internet, highlighted by the tragic deaths of April Jones (5 years) and Tia Sharp (12 years), whose killers viewed and collected CSEM. Discussion surrounding such cases has focused on a potentially causal link between CSEM and sexually motivated crimes against children. Since the advent of the internet, convictions for the possession, exchange and/or production of CSEM have risen dramatically. A substantial body of research on internet sex offenders has emerged and professionals are developing a knowledge base regarding assessment and treatment needs of CSEM users. However, the question of risk remains a central concern: How likely is a CSEM user to commit a contact sex offence against a child in the future? Is there a causal link between “looking” and “touching”? The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, together with Prof Derek Perkins (West London Mental Health Trust) & Dr Hannah Merdian (University of Lincoln) would like to invite you to a one-day conference addressing the issue of risk assessment and risk management in working with CSEM users. The Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF) is a child protection charity, committed to reducing the risk of children being sexually abused. Proceeds from the conference and any donations will go to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation with sincere thanks to support its work

Fighting Fire with Fire: Technology in Child Sex Trafficking

We map real articulation data for five Swedish phonemen sequences onto parameters of a biomechanical tongue model that produces movement and muscle activations from position data. The movement produced is broadly correct and could likely be improved by a more fine tuned mapping. The muscle activations were found to vary between simulations using the same data but matched well with previous studies on muscle activity for vowels