Digital Trafficking: How the Internet has Fueled Human Trafficking
- unwillingcargo
- Nov 29, 2021
- 7 min read
27 November 2021
Julia Varughese
Source: Pikpng
After years of investigating its ties with trafficking, the U.S Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations finally shut down Backpage.com in January 2017. From its start in 2004, Backpage has had control of 80% of the online sex market and its operators had accumulated around $ 500 million in revenue. But as more details came to light, they could no longer hide behind “free internet speech.” Reports from agencies such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that since its beginnings, the site has had more than 420 missing children (and of them 150 minors) sold for sexual services. But the death of such an atrocity does not mean there isn’t room for more to grow in its ashes.
In the last few decades, the Internet has grown exponentially with millions to billions of users worldwide all connected on various platforms and social media. This has effectively grown the online marketplace and the ease of online shopping for clothes, cars, electronics, and even people. Traffickers begin to shift their business models to adapt for this online marketplace and seek less controversial, less obvious platforms for profit.
Social Media Platforms and Types of Associated Trafficking
Source: Polaris Project; On-Ramps, Intersections, and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking
Definition
Source: Pikpng
Before getting into the relationship between the Internet and human trafficking, it is necessary to understand the definition of human trafficking to understand how the points described in this blog are related to trafficking.
As defined by The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000:
A.) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or
B.) The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. (22 U.S.C. § 7102(9)).
The key phrase for this blog will be “force, fraud, and coercion” and how this might manifest in an online setting.
Labor Trafficking
Trafficking for labor is usually done by taking advantage of those seeking to get a better life, take care of their loved ones or escape violence, poverty, or homelessness. Traffickers then “sell their dream” and promise them employment only to subject them to forced labor with physical and legal threats (e.g., arrest or deportation) (Jennifer). A common form of online solicitation is self-claimed “independent contractors” who post false job advertisements with promises, high wages/salaries but vague in details or reputability. These postings are increasingly susceptible to migrant workers, homeless/poor, runways, and/or individuals facing recurring unemployment.
For example, in a Philippines Case Study done in 2015 by Dr. Latonero et. al., Filipinos are one of the top victims of service labor trafficking and this can be traced back to the significant migrant workers that trust online forums (e.g., Facebook), more than unemployment government agencies (e.g., Philippines Overseas Employment Administration).
Such job offers can occur in various forms from targeting certain individuals through private messages or even public posts about the exaggerated benefits of the job. For example, a post can have a picture of someone holding an excessive amount of cash and are praising the
“Company” or “independent contractor” for giving them the opportunity to work and get cash so fast (see image below).
Source: Polaris Project; On-Ramps, Intersections, and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking
Sex Trafficking
“[...] predators prey on people who are vulnerable [...] A lot of the time it is because you have experienced adversity or have gone through something traumatic. They know how to hone in and pick that up”- Sarah Cooper, Victim of Online Sex Traffickers who targeted her through Facebook when she was a struggling teenager
Sex trafficking is the most common form of human trafficking found online and it the one most focused on through law (see section below). Sex trafficking online can take the form of recruitment, advertisements, and pornography. Online recruitment is typically traffickers targeting a vulnerable person by “carefully building the rapport and intimacy needed to entice victims into a false sense of trust” through tactics such as false identities or “boyfriending” (manipulation by feigning romantic interest, assurance, and salvation) (Polaris). Traffickers will eventually try to bring the victim to them (e.g., fly them out) or they may even use apps that display the user's location to target victims close by (e.g., dating apps).
Advertisement and the sale of trafficked victims can also happen online, through sites such as Backpage or social media where traffickers can post sexually explicit or implicit posts about their victims and claim that they are for sale. Traffickers will then threaten, force, or coerce these victims (e.g., threatening to leak photos, calling the police, promising that it is a one-time thing, etc.) into meeting these strangers. Porn sites are also a means of facilitating trafficking. Many have heard the phrase “sex sells” which only becomes a testament to the increase in the viewership and market of online pornography. As argued by Hannah Hawkins for Purchased, the increase in demand has made pimping victims into pornography more frequent but it has also can objectify women and created a skewed reality of consensual and nonconsensual sex.
Primary websites utilized by sex traffickers in the United States from 2015 to 2020, by number of new criminal cases
Source: Statistica, https://www.statista.com/statistics/978966/primary-websites-used-sex-traffickers-us-number-cases/
Federal Law
Source: Kindpng
Before Backpage’s demise in 2017, the PSI committee had been looking at the Internet, in general, to see if there were any sites or forums that condoned or practiced human trafficking. This faced a lot of pushback from legislators and major media identities due to the “freedom of internet speech” and the argument that the Communications Decency Act passed in 1996 did not make web companies liable for the content others created/posted. The shutdown of Backpage was subsequently done with the passing of the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act”, the amendment of the CDA called the “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” and the “Mann Act” amendment.
The ASVFOST Act of 2018, essentially “[created] a new civil right of action as well as state criminal and civil prosecutorial authority against online marketplaces that knowingly participate in sex trafficking” (Polaris Project). The SESTA was an amendment to the Communications Decency Act, which in 1966 sought to regulate pornographic material on the Internet, but the amendment clarifies that sites can be liable, sued, and prosecuted for knowingly facilitating trafficking. Lastly, Mann Act (1910) which is related to the criminality of prostitution or trafficking another person, was amended to include the internet in its list of prohibited means of expediting sex trafficking.
Some important things to note is that these laws are not international, are mainly focused on sex trafficking, the jurisdiction and supervision of the Internet is still vague/debated, and a lot can go on in underground/black markets as well. So, even though there is progression toward more security and supervision of the Internet, the vastness and magnitude of it only means that these laws only touch the surface. Just look at the Backpage investigation and trial of its operators/owners, that is still being continued today, is highly debated, and seen as controversial especially in the sense of the First Amendment and the ethics of “turning a blind eye.”
How the Internet and Social Media can Help
Source: Dreamstime
Despite all the atrocities noted in this blog, the Internet and social media can also be a positive impact to combat human trafficking. For example, this blog and the website that it is on. Such informational sites can be awareness campaigns that allow those in the community to be aware/informed about trafficking in a way that allows them to act or spread the word. The ease of searching for resources is also very crucial for victims and survivors to connect to support systems. Whether it be hotlines, health services, shelters, police, or even victim/identity-specific services. The Polaris Project 2018 report on social media, also explains the benefits of social media on current victims of abusers and traffickers. With perpetrators who control or take away usage of phone service, victims can use wi-fi to connect to media forums rather than cellular service. Also, apps such as Skype, or Snapchat have “disappearing” or easily removable chat features that allow victims to contact someone without leaving evidence.
What Can You Do?
Source: Pinclipart
It is imperative to have internet competency as a social media and internet user. This does not mean being high-tech internet savvy but having the ability to critically examine everything you see and may want to post. Be sure to find credibility, analyze your emotions, and think twice before posting something. Here are some good resources to get you started on social media safety, filtering information, and identifying false job postings:
Social Media Safety: https://carleton.ca/its/2016/social-media-safety/
Filtering Information: https://sccollege.edu/Library/Pages/EvaluatingInformationontheInternet.aspx
If you happen to be in a situation in which you or someone else is or is a target for a trafficker, be sure to report it. Before reporting it on the site or the social media app, be sure to take documentation of the evidence and any other information you can find on the trafficker/post/ad, etc. Refer to the website below for some resources of where you can report it, and if you are not sure please call your local authorities for redirection. Then, if possible, report the person/ad/etc. on the website or app.
Some Ways to Report: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/report-violations
Here is also a list of some sites to beware of or to especially practice Internet safety:
Craigslist
Facebook
Dating Apps: Tinder, Grinder
Escort Services: seekingarrangements, meetme, Grindr, Adult Friend Finder
Others: Skip the Games, Mega Personals
Twitter
Snapchat
Instagram
Chatting apps (WhatsApp,
Source: Polaris Project and Statistica
Conclusion
“The internet provides traffickers with enormous scope to seek out and groom marginalized individuals. Sexual exploiters can scan social media for young, vulnerable individuals”
-Caitlin Allen for International Observatory Human Rights
With the ever-growing scope of the Internet, the different kinds of users and usage also multiplies. In the same world where someone can do mundane things such as ordering a pizza, watching a movie, or writing a blog, others can do inhumane criminalities such as facilitating sex and labor trafficking. Traffickers are now able to use force, coercion and fraud behind a screen and exploit vulnerable populations. And even though law enforcement has started to make progress in inspecting such misuses, it only touches the surfaces. Where traffickers can switch to other domains and employ other methods to get what they want. So, it is important for
everyone to be aware of their techniques, be Internet safe and be able to report any suspicious behavior.
References
Anthony, Brittany. “On-Ramps, Intersections, and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking.” Polaris Project, 2018, https://polarisproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/A-Roadmap-for-Systems-and-Industries-to-Prevent-and-Disrupt-Human-Trafficking-Social-Media.pdf.
Hawkins, Hannah. “The Influence of Porn in the Sex Trafficking Industry.” Purchased, 2020, https://www.purchased.org/the-influence-of-porn-in-the-sex-trafficking-industry.
“Human Trafficking.” The United States Department of Justice, 9 Nov. 2018, https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Jennifer. “Selling a Better Life: Fraud in Human Trafficking.” Beautiful Dream Society, 13 Jan. 2016, https://beautifuldream.tv/who-we-are/news/fraud-human-trafficking/.
Klein, Beth. “The Death of Backpage.com.” Klein Frank Foundation, 15 Oct. 2019, https://init2endit.com/2017/01/11/the-death-of-backpage-com/.
“New Trial Set for Backpage Founders after Recent Mistrial.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 5 Oct. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/trials-money-laundering-4d6bb51607af13013243e41173b0ad07.
Wills, Cheryl. “Trafficking Survivor Shares Her Story.” Trafficking Survivor Shares Her Gut-Wrenching Story, 2021, https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2021/06/15/nyc-survivor-shares-story-warning-about-predators-grooming-underage-people-on-social-media.
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