Keeping Tabs: The Emerging Role of Surveillance and Technology in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

• In Event: Roundtable: Understanding the Social Impacts of Surveillance Technology

Abstract

Law enforcement and state actors are increasingly making use of technology to supplement traditional investigative practices. One area in particular that has been affected by this trend is human and sex trafficking. Non-state actors have also joined in these efforts by engaging in online investigative crusades to gather information on victims and perpetrators of trafficking undertakings. The resulting “evidence” is often passed on to authorities, illustrating increasing collaboration among anti-trafficking actors. These efforts are guided by noble causes to monitor, apprehend, and prosecute traffickers, and rescue trafficking victims. Throughout these efforts, there is a concerning tendency for overreliance on and overconfidence in technological surveillance without sufficient empirical data to suggest such utility. Ultimately, further research is needed to understand the use of technology to combat trafficking and weigh potential benefits with costs (i.e. false positives, privacy invasions, and civil liberty infringements). Furthermore, these analyses should be grounded in a broader and critical discourse that considers underlying and intersecting themes of exploitation and marginalization. The present analysis explores the aforementioned issues and offers support for a more critical analysis of the relationship between technology, surveillance, and human trafficking.

Author

• Olivia G. Tuttle, University of Nevada, Las Vegas