Using Data & AI to Tackle Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a horrific business, and it’s all around us, in plain sight. Trafficking is the recruitment and enslavement of people by fraud, force, or coercion.An estimated 25 million people are victims of human trafficking each year globally, with many more cases going unreported. It’s also a $150 billion industry, making it the second most profitable in the world. Yet as pervasive as human trafficking is, the criminals behind it are especially hard to find. Traffickers mask their activity with secret global networks spanning hospitality, transportation, banking, and more.

In recognition of the UN’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, Accenture is helping to raise awareness about human trafficking, all while working 24/7 to shut it down. 

Accenture has created the world’s first human trafficking risk classifier, Artemis, in partnership with the Global Emancipation Network (GEN). Artemis uses data and artificial intelligence to find and shut down trafficking establishments, ultimately saving lives. The gap that Artemis addresses is huge: Human traffickers use sophisticated methods to hide in plain sight from law enforcement. For example, traffickers might advertise their businesses online with a coded language that signals the illicit nature of what they are doing. They also take advantage of a wide range of technologies such as encrypted phones, social media, and the deep web to market and profit from their victims. Artemis looks across these platforms to analyze the digital footprints that can point to human trafficking. Through this analysis, Artemis can then proactively identify risky businesses, individuals, ads, and reviews, and flag establishments that may be engaging in human trafficking. Take a moment to look at this video that shows how Artemis works. 

When it launched, Artemis was shared withpublic safety agencies, private organizations and nonprofits. This was just the beginning. Plans are underway to apply the solution to organizations like social media platforms and financial institutions to help disrupt the human trafficking chain. Accenture acknowledges that while these strides are making great progress in the fight against human trafficking, there is still yet much more work to be done.