Technology-Human Trafficking Online

Our world today is anything but obsolete. Us as a society depend on technology every day. Being engrossed in technology has become the new social norm. Everything from staying up to date on important news, marking digital calendars with important dates, banking, social media, forums, chat, advertising, and even working from home. “Adopting emerging technologies easily, spending a large proportion of time online and multitasking are signs of the increasingly digital nature of our everyday lives (Belk 1).” With all these new advances, many can create a complete digital world for our use. Many still question the safety of the internet as it will always have its pitfalls. Danger still lurks around the world wide web, and its users should always use caution when navigating the internet. This idea includes all platforms where any personal or private information is used, shared, or exchanged. The Department of Defense Cyber Crime is responsible for monitoring "cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection, law enforcement and counterintelligence, document and media exploitation, and counterterrorism (Cybercrime and National Security Authoritative Reports and Resources)". With all these actions taking place, it’s easy to assume our web use is safe and reliable. This idea is not always the case. Dangers such as fraud, counterfeit, terrorism, human trafficking are some of the many of thousands of crimes committed via the internet. The focus on human trafficking is imperative as it is a corruption of our lives as it can affect anyone of any age. Human trafficking is a human rights violation. Victims are forced to give up everything they know about their own life. Many victims who fall prey to this crime may also agree to their conditions, and not view it as a detrimental circumstance. Many child predators who engage in these acts will always find a way around the system to ensure that the business of human trafficking stays running. Ramping up safety and guided use in our own life can us help take extra precautions against these dangerous lurkers. As our world continues to expand with technology, we all must be aware of how our youth uses the internet and the time spent. Teaching and implementing safety and rules must be a staple point when using technology and the web. The unfortunate truth is, that the internet can be a very dangerous place for anyone. Danger does not discriminate age, sex, race, sexual preference, or religion. People from all over the world are targeted, affiliated, contribute, to these heinous crimes against humanity.

It would seem most people in today’s day in age have ramped up their own security throughout their daily lives. This idea may include home security, such as; doorbells, cameras, video recording. Car security also seems to be a popular feature many opt for, or even personal security like a bodyguard for more of the rich and luxurious lifestyles. Protecting what’s ours should always be important, especially when it comes to the safety of our children. Integrating ways into our daily life to keep possible dangers at bay when using online websites and social apps. Over the years many new ways to communicate with friends and family on the internet have become increasingly popular, especially with the younger generations.” Social media use can provide teens with a range of social, emotional, and cognitive benefits, but the popular media often characterize Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc., as places where young people engage in a wide range of unsafe activities (Agosto).” Children and teenagers are all starting to become engrossed in the internet. From chatrooms, Facebook, twitter, and virtual websites where people can connect, and chat or share are all popular hotspots for children and predators alike. These sites may appear safe, but is it? You can never be too sure, which is why users should always use the best judgment possible when communicating online with others. On July 8^th, 2011, the app Snapchat launched. Catering to adolescents all around the world. The social app is mainly used for quick photos, videos, and chats to share with friends or strangers. As harmless as it may sound, the app has its questionable features. Users can send and receive photos and videos that after a certain amount of time they will disappear. The social app also has features for settings to be changed for anyone in the world to view. This issue opens the path for explicit dangers our teens may face, not realizing the consequences. Teens and other users have used many of the Snapchat hacks to their advantage. Taking photos and videos of explicit nature to send to anyone of their choosing as well as sexting between peers and crude conversations. Chats would also disappear from the logs as most people did not want anyone to track who they were talking to or what they were sending out into the web. This idea made Snapchat a hotspot for anything explicit to be sent or received. Including conversations taking place in the dark world of human trafficking. As popularity grew so did the number of teens accessing the platform “with 40 percent of teens ages 13 to 17 using the app, according to 2015 research by the Pew Research Group (Parker)”. Parents and guardians are urged to set guidelines for these types of social media platforms because of the extreme dangers that are present. Many other platforms share the same type of concern, such as; Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter,

Daily we wonder how we can maintain a safe relationship with the internet. While you cannot ever guarantee complete safety, there are ways to help ensure safety while accessing the platforms. Ensuring the website, you are using is safe and reputable is a major factor. Phishing scams, hack scams, even cyber scams are all around us. Social media sites are a big hotspot for these crimes. This fact also includes the crime "of human trafficking. Human trafficking is the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation (Lexico Dictionaries)". " Human trafficking “Involves 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 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 (Homeland Security)". A major concern with this issue is the exploitation of our children in this heinous crime. "Predators and human traffickers can gain access to victims online because people are not always aware of how dangerous online environments can be or how to keep themselves safe. While the Internet is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, predators will take advantage of the situation and stalk online meeting places such as chat rooms and social media sites to lure their victims (Homeland Security)". While these risks are always around, there are certain steps people can take to help up the safety measure. It is imperative to not share any personal information, pictures, or age that you wouldn’t share with your fellow peers, family, or acquaintances. Always make sure your settings are set to friends only and never meeting with someone you met online. Always report suspected abuse to local law enforcement. Parents and guardians need to be aware of these traits. As well as knowing the minor’s activity when it comes to online monitoring

As parents we constantly worry about our children and the risks, they face every day.” Social media and portable technology have contributed to young people becoming accessible to sexual abusers on a scale never known before. While child sexual abuse has long existed and still exists offline (Whittle)." The Internet has altered the way in which abuse can be carried out.  One risk associated with human trafficking or abuse victims is grooming from their perpetrator. Grooming is a tactic many abusers use to gain the trust of the victim they intend to abuse. Grooming is not only a real-world threat but an online threat as well. This issue can happen from a stranger or even someone the victim knows personally. Grooming, in this situation is defined as, when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. When a victim is groomed, it may not be apparent at first, especially if the victim is an impressionable minor who still is developing their ideas of the world. There may be signs and cues the victim may present and it is crucial to observe for this. The victim may show signs of decreased activity levels, shying away from important people in their lives, become anti-social, become depressed or angry, picking up bad habits such as drug use, alcohol abuse, impulsive behavior, or even display signs of sexual abuse on others. It is crucial to be aware of the habits and traits people display when possibly being a victim to this abuse. Reporting the abuse and obtaining help for the individual is just as crucial for their wellbeing.

Personal victim stories surfaced after the fall of a popular sex trafficking website. The webpage was created by Michael Lacey called Backpage. This website was “once the world's second largest classified advertising website. The website had a dark side that exploited victims of any age but had most underage people. In October 2018, a woman from the United States sued Backpage and other social media platform(s), claiming she had been a victim of sex trafficking on Backpage by a man who lured her into prostitution by posing as someone who knew her on the social media network. It’s many instances like this that happen too often, and many times it’s a silent trade. Many victims are lured, and everything is stripped away, including their rights. Most if not are all scared, so they do not speak out. Threats are made to many of the victims that if they act out in any way harm can come to them, their family, or anyone close to the person. In 2018, Backpage was seized in April 2018 law agencies. “Days after the Backpage seizure, President Donald Trump signed into law the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, or SESTA-FOSTA. Carl Ferrer, the CEO of the portal was arrested in Texas in October on allegations of sex trafficking and pimping involving underage victims (Whitcomb)". As said before, danger does not discriminate. During the reign of Backpage, more stories came out about victims. Many young but also many who faced it from people they should be able to trust and go to in times of advice. "A former middle school teacher in Florida admitted paying for sex with a 14-year-old girl who was trafficked on Backpage. Davis, who taught middle school in a Gainesville, Florida, suburb, “until 2015, pleaded guilty in March 2018 to charges of child sex trafficking and obtaining a minor for purposes of engaging in sexual activity and sentencing him to 10 years behind bars (Whitcomb)". There are thousands more stories like this, many with very unfortunate endings. Engaging in any unknown circumstance online can have many of these consequences. Always be careful when engaging with unknown sources on the internet.

With each day passing, our society becomes more advanced and engrossed in the tech world around them. Technology is truly and amazing source. Without technology, we wouldn’t have the essential benefits that support us today. Banking, work, school, blogging, and even leisure are all a part of this revolving tech society. Becoming familiar with technology is an important step everyone should take as they adapt with these changes. Technologies will always be around but should never be taken for granted. Clear and present dangers lurk. The Bureau of Justice Statistics ran a survey involving cyber security found “In 2005, among 7,818 businesses 67% detected at least one cybercrime. Nearly 60% detected one or more types of cyber-attacks.11% detected cyber theft.24% detected other computer security incidents. Most businesses did not report cyber-attacks to law enforcement authorities. Most victimized businesses (86%) detected multiple incidents, with half of these (43%) detecting 10 or more incidents during the year. Approximately 68% of the victims of cyber theft sustained monetary loss of $10,000 or more. By comparison, 34% of the businesses detecting cyber-attacks and 31% of businesses detecting other computer security incidents lost more than $10,000. System downtime lasted between 1 and 24 hours for half of the businesses and more than 24 hours for a third of businesses detecting cyber-attacks or other computer security incidents.” Cybercrime should never be taken lightly and should always be reported to the proper authorities. Especially, at the vulnerability of another human being. In 2018, statics showed that many people have been reaching out for help from their proposed fate. An organization was launched in 2002 by Bradley Myers called “The Polaris Project”. The goal of the organization is to fight against the evils of slavery and human trafficking. This organization runs the hotline for human trafficking, working on more than 40,000 cases. They live by a motto, “Freedom happens now”, in hopes all of their victims earn their deserved freedom from the crimes of human trafficking. The organization's statistics showed that in 2018 they received 28,335 phone calls, 5,197 texts, 4,034 webforms, 1,566 webchats, and 1,956 emails all looking for help. The total of contacts came to 41,088. “The National Hotline has handled 51,919 cases since 2007, comprising one of the largest publicly available data sets on human trafficking in the United States (Polaris)". Though these statistics may seem scary, there are many ways to get involved and help your local communities to combat human trafficking. Many times, our youth become runaways, leaving them homeless having to rely on their own survival skills. This issue usually results in victims having no safe place to stay, this idea is when human traffickers see their opportunity. “Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry that targets some of the world’s most vulnerable people - migrants, refugees, people living in poverty and with addictions - to name just a few. Ending human trafficking means providing an adequate response and safety net - shelters, trauma counseling, employment services, for survivors. But it also means looking beyond individual situations, understanding that we cannot arrest our way out of an epidemic of this magnitude (Polaris)”. Each victim has a story. Human trafficking is pure evil, and we must all come together to put an end to it. Remembering key points and how to maintain safety, users should now be able to identify the risks associated with web use. Maintaining a healthy relationship with the internet can help keep individuals safe plus the youth of our future. Without out them or their voice, there is no future. We must put an end to the travesties of human trafficking in all shapes and forms.

Works cited

The Routledge Companion to Digital Consumption, edited by Russell W. Belk, and Rosa Llamas, Routledge, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/emcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1181047.
Created from emcc-ebooks on 2020-03-25 09:18:31.

“Cybersecurity: Cybercrime and National Security Authoritative Reports and Resources.” EveryCRSReport.com, Congressional Research Service, 11 Jan. 2019, www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R44408.html.

Agosto, Dennis E., and June Abbas. "Simple tips for helping students become safer, smarter social media users." Knowledge Quest, vol. 44, no. 4, 2016, p. 42+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link-gale-com.libproxy.estrellamountain.edu/apps/doc/A447286171/AONE?u=mcc_estm&sid=AONE&xid=cb1fe969. Accessed 25 Mar. 2020.

“Human Trafficking: Definition of Human Trafficking by Lexico.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries, www.lexico.com/en/definition/human_trafficking.

“What Is Human Trafficking?” Department of Homeland Security, 25 Mar. 2020, www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking.

Whitcomb, Dan. “Exclusive: Report Gives Glimpse into Murky World of U.S. Prostitution in Post-Backpage Era.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 11 Apr. 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-prostitution-internet-exclusive-idUSKCN1RN13E.

"Backpage pulls adult ads and accuses government of 'censorship'". NBC News. Retrieved March 1, 2017.

Whitcomb, Dan. “Florida Man Imprisoned for Trafficking Girl, 14, via Backpage.com.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 1 May 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-humantrafficking-idUSKCN1S62IK

Parker, Wayne. “Why Every Parent Needs to Know About Snapchat.” Verywell Family, Verywell Family, 5 Dec. 2019, www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-snapchat-and-its-use-1270338.

Whittle, Helen C. “‘Under His Spell’: Victims’ Perspectives of Being Groomed Online.” Https://Www.researchgate.net/, Sept. 2014, www.researchgate.net/publication/276042798_Under_His_Spell_Victims'_Perspectives_of_Being_Groomed_Online.

Closing cites:

“Cybercrime.” Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=41.

“Myths, Facts, and Statistics.” Polaris, 17 Jan. 2020, polarisproject.org/myths-facts-and-statistics/.

“Pledge to Help Survivors of Human Trafficking.” Polaris, act.polarisproject.org/page/31172/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=takeaction.