An NGO dedicated to the prevention of human trafficking has released an updated app which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate reporting of trafficking.
STOP THE TRAFFIK, which works globally to raise awareness of human trafficking and provide essential data on trafficking activity worldwide, has partnered with technology giant IBM to develop wide-ranging updates to its STOP APP mobile application, first launched in 2016 and available on Apple and Android phones. The app, which enables users to report trafficking activity and was initially made available in seven languages, has now been upgraded to make it easier to report potential trafficking using text messages, audio and video recordings and photography. Reports made via the human trafficking prevention app are passed on to STOP THE TRAFFIK’s team of expert analysts, who can alert the relevant authorities where circumstances warrant.
Analysts at STOP THE TRAFFIK will now be able to benefit from additional assistance from AI software developed by IBM and hosted on IBM’s cloud computing platform, which will draw information from incoming reports in order to enable the analysts to process data at a much faster rate and prioritise serious cases. Insights drawn from data supplied to the STOP APP will also be passed to STOP THE TRAFFIK’s new Traffik Analysis Hub, which will collate and analyse data on trafficking from a variety of sources to build a picture of patterns in trafficking around the world.
The Traffik Analysis Hub, developed by STOP THE TRAFFIK in partnership with representatives from academia, finance, law enforcement and other participating NGOs, uses cloud computing, machine learning and AI technology provided by IBM to build a collective understanding of trends and hotspots around the trafficking industry and formulate plans of action accordingly. For example, financial organisations will be able to use the data patterns generated through the hub to build a picture of areas in which offenders benefit financially from trafficking activity and take steps accordingly.
