Transaction Search Form: please type in any of the fields below.
Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:54 am
Time: 12:54 am
Results for technology and crime
8 results foundAuthor: Latonero, Mark Title: The Rise of Mobile and the Diffusion of Technology-Facilitated Trafficking Summary: In September 2012, President Obama identified human trafficking as one of the great human rights issues of our time, representing a “debasement of our common humanity that tears at the social fabric of our communities, endangers public health, distorts markets, and fuels violence and organized crime.” The nature and extent of human trafficking in modern society is complex and evolving, however, and our understanding of the phenomenon is fraught with contested terminologies and differing perceptions. Broadly speaking, human trafficking involves the severe sexual and labor exploitation of vulnerable people for financial gain, which amounts to a gross violation of human rights. Children exploited in the sex trade are especially at risk. What role does technology play in the shifting dynamics of human trafficking today? In this report, researchers at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) reveal how those involved in human trafficking have been quick to adapt to the 21st-century global landscape. While the rapid diffusion of digital technologies such as mobile phones, social networking sites, and the Internet has provided significant benefits to society, new channels and opportunities for exploitation have also emerged. Increasingly, the business of human trafficking is taking place online and over mobile phones. But the same technologies that are being used for trafficking can become a powerful tool to combat trafficking. The precise role that digital technologies play in human trafficking still remains unclear, however, and a closer examination of the phenomenon is vital to identify and respond to new threats and opportunities. This investigation indicates that mobile devices and networks have risen in prominence and are now of central importance to the sex trafficking of minors in the United States. While online platforms such as online classifieds and social networking sites remain a potential venue for exploitation, this research suggests that technology-facilitated trafficking is more diffuse and adaptive than initially thought. This report presents a review of current literature, trends, and policies; primary research based on mobile phone data collected from online classified sites; a series of firsthand interviews with law enforcement; and key recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders moving forward. While the sex trafficking of minors continues to expand across multiple media platforms, our research indicates that the rise of mobile technology may fundamentally transform the trafficking landscape. No other communication technology in history, including the Internet, has been adopted so rapidly around the world. The World Bank estimates that 75% of the global population has access to a mobile phone. Mobile’s ability to facilitate real-time communication and coordination, unbound by physical location, is also being exploited by traffickers to extend the reach of their illicit activities. Traffickers are able to recruit, advertise, organize, and communicate primarily—or even exclusively—via mobile phone, effectively streamlining their activities and expanding their criminal networks. In short, human traffickers and criminal networks are taking advantage of technology to reach larger audiences and to do illicit business more quickly and efficiently across greater distances. Mobile communication may also represent a breakthrough for interventions by law enforcement and the anti-trafficking community. Data gleaned from cellphones and mobile networks constitute a trail of information and evidence that can be a powerful tool in identifying, tracking, and prosecuting traffickers. Mobile technologies can also be used to reach vulnerable communities and raise public awareness. The rise of mobile has major implications both for the spread of human trafficking and for anti-trafficking efforts, and should be carefully considered by law enforcement, policymakers, and activists as they develop strategies to combat human trafficking in the United States and worldwide. Furthermore, the respect for privacy and civil liberties, and potential unintended consequences of technological interventions on victims and survivors, are crucial considerations in developing mobile-based solutions. This research expands on CCLP’s 2011 report examining the role of online technologies in human trafficking. Key findings of the 2011 report focused on the use of Internet technologies, particularly online classifieds and social media sites, for the sex trafficking of minors in the United States. The USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and CCLP collaborated to develop prototype software designed to detect possible cases of sex trafficking of minors online. Our research indicated that tools such as data mining, mapping, computational linguistics, and advanced analytics could be used by governmental and nongovernmental organizations, law enforcement, academia, and the private sector to further anti-trafficking goals of prevention, protection, and prosecution. Details: Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, 2012. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Series on Technology and Human Trafficking; Accessed November 23, 2012 at: http://www.ungift.org/doc/knowledgehub/resource-centre/USC-Annenberg-Technology-and-Human-Trafficking-2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.ungift.org/doc/knowledgehub/resource-centre/USC-Annenberg-Technology-and-Human-Trafficking-2012.pdf Shelf Number: 126983 Keywords: Human TraffickingMobile TechnologiesMobile TelephonesOnline CommunicationsSex TraffickingSexual ExploitationTechnology and Crime |
Author: Bluett-Boyd, Nicole Title: The Role of Emerging Communication Technologies in Experiences of Sexual Violence: A New Legal Frontier? Summary: This research study investigates how communication technologies facilitate sexual violence against young people and what challenges this presents for the Victorian criminal justice system. Based on interviews with young people and professionals working with young people, it examines the effects of technology on the lives of young people, the interface between emerging communication technologies and experiences of sexual violence, and the factors that enable or hinder appropriate legal responses. Communication technologies such as online social networking sites and mobile phones are considered, and their use in identifying and grooming potential victims, blackmail and intimation, sexting, harassment, and pornography. The key messages identified by the study included: - Young people's engagement with emerging communication technologies (such as social networking and mobile phone technology) is an essential method of socialisation. Given the constant accessibility offered by these technologies, and the blurring between online and offline social spheres, emerging communication technologies afford diverse opportunities for the perpetration of sexual violence. The study found that emerging communication technologies help facilitate sexually violent acts, before, during and after an offence. Specifically, technologies help to increase the accessibility of potential victims: Before a sexually violent act. Social networking in particular can provide a false sense of connection between offender and victim. For example, the act of 'friending' enhances the feeling of 'trust'. •During the act of sexual violence, technologies can be used to record non-consensual sexual activity. Threats to distribute this material can be used to further coerce and victimise. After an act of either consensual or non-consensual sexual activity, offenders can distribute images to cause further harm to victims. Technologies are also used post-assault to contact, threaten or abuse victims. - A lack of clarity on how a range of online behaviours should be conceptualised has hampered the development of appropriate and effective responses to the issue. While the law has a role to play in addressing such issues, appropriate conduct for using technologies is better addressed through a primary prevention approach to the promotion of personal ethics and respect. Details: Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2013. 127p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. 23: Accessed February 28, 2013 at: http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport23/index.html Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport23/index.html Shelf Number: 127554 Keywords: Communication TechnologiesPornographySex CrimesSextingSexual HarassmentSexual Violence (Australia)Technology and Crime |
Author: Mancini, Francesco, ed. Title: New Technology and the Prevention of Violence and Conflict Summary: There are now 6 billion cell phone subscriptions in the world, and one third of the world’s population is online. These numbers are growing rapidly, particularly in the developing world, and they demonstrate an unparalleled level of global interconnectivity. They also point to the unprecedented amount of data that we are generating while using new information and communication technologies (ICTs): in 2012 alone, humans generated more data than over the course of their entire history. This report explores the ways in which ICTs and the data they generate can assist international actors, governments, and civil society organizations to more effectively prevent violence and conflict. It examines the contributions that cell phones, social media, crowdsourcing, crisis mapping, blogging, and big data analytics can make to short-term efforts to forestall crises and to long-term initiatives to address the root causes of violence. Five case studies assess the use of such tools in a variety of regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America) experiencing different types of violence (criminal violence, election-related violence, armed conflict, shortterm crisis) in different political contexts (restrictive and collaborative governments). The cases demonstrate clearly that employing new technologies for conflict prevention can produce very different results depending on the context in which they are applied and whether or not those using the technology take that context into account. This is particularly true in light of the dramatic changes underway in the landscapes of violence and conflict on a global level. As such, instead of focusing on supply-driven technical fixes, those undertaking prevention initiatives should let the context inform what kind of technology is needed and what kind of approach will work best. With this in mind, lessons and insights from across the cases point to seven promising steps for strengthening prevention efforts that involve new technologies. 1. Even if you crowd-source your hammer, not every problem is a nail. New technologies have the potential to make huge contributions to violence- and conflictprevention efforts, but they are not a panacea for holistic solutions. International organizations and governments should examine all the tools at their disposal for preventing conflict, and civil society organizations should not be blinkered by their particular thematic focus. 2. Consider the context. The cases show that socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic factors will all influence whether technology can have a positive impact, which technology would be appropriate, and how technologies could or should be combined. International organizations and governments should make needs assessments and feasibility studies that address these factors standard practice. Civil society organizations should also include such needs assessments or conflict and peace assessments in their proposals when seeking funding from donors. 3. Do no harm. Failure to consider the possible knock-on effects of applying a specific technology can lead to fatal outcomes in violent settings. Spoilers also leverage new technologies to incite violence, promote conflict, and perpetrate crimes. As such, a conflict-sensitive approach remains vital from conception to completion of any initiative involving new technologies. As part of project design and implementation, every actor should identify possible spoilers, conduct a cost-benefit analysis that incorporates levels of risk, develop mechanisms to mitigate risks, and create contingency plans. 4. Integrate local input throughout, and don’t reinvent the wheel. Examples abound where an absence of local input meant there was a lack of buy-in from the affected communities, project financing was unsustainable, the credibility of the information collected was questionable, or there was duplication of work. Once a project is underway, continual consultation with and involvement of the affected community is vital. In general, the application of new technological tools to prevention efforts at the local level works best when integrated into existing civil society initiatives. 5. Use technology to help information flow horizontally more than vertically. Horizontal citizen-to-citizen ICT initiatives can help to connect more “warners” and “responders” more quickly and closer to the crisis. They can also contribute to communities’ resilience in the long term. International organizations should consider supporting spontaneous microinitiatives in this area, provide funding to develop local capacity, improve connectivity between different initiatives, and help the sharing of best practices. Civil society organizations should identify and reward skilled individuals and groups in local communities who can adopt new technologies for preventing violence and conflict. 6. Establish consensus regarding ownership, use, and sharing of information. New technologies make it possible for international organizations and government agencies to acquire more information and more granular information to inform prevention efforts. International organizations, governments, and civil society actors should establish consensus around questions of privacy, access, and use of digital data in any given initiative. This will make prevention efforts more legitimate in the eyes of the affected communities, and ultimately more effective. 7. Foster partnerships for better results. There are indications that prevention initiatives that drew on the complementary strengths of international donors, governments, the private sector, and civil society proved more effective. International organizations and governments are well placed to foster such partnerships and should invest in doing so for more promising results. Given the frequent paralysis at national and international levels when it comes to preventing conflict, the empowerment of individuals to participate in conflict-prevention initiatives in their own communities and societies may be one of the most significant innovations created by advances in technology. This is particularly true when it comes to bridging the persistent gulf between warning and response. Much more research is needed to assess how ICT can be used to generate action at the local level, as well as to inform or warn. In the long run, however, the most effective approach to using new technologies for conflict prevention may well be the one needed in prevention more broadly: one that successfully balances both grassroots, decentralized efforts and the more rationalized and coordinated activities of governments and international organizations. Details: New York: International Peace Institute, 2013. 104p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 12, 2013 at: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ipi-e-pub-nw-technology-conflict-prevention-advance.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ipi-e-pub-nw-technology-conflict-prevention-advance.pdf Shelf Number: 128347 Keywords: Cell PhonesCrime PreventionTechnology and CrimeViolence Prevention (International)Violent Crime |
Author: Great Britain. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee Title: E-crime: Fifth Report of Session 2013-14 Summary: 1. We live in a world where terms like "Cyber crime" no longer belong in the realm of science fiction. Modern devices such as smart phones and tablets have brought the internet not only to our fingertips but to our bedsides, our pockets and to our children. And yet there is strong evidence that access to such technology, with all its opportunities and benefits, can put our businesses and our families at increasing risk of exploitation and internet-based crime (E-crime). 2. Identity theft, industrial espionage, credit card fraud, phishing, child exploitation - criminals use the internet as a means to commit a wide range of crimes. Perpetrators range from lone hackers, activist groups, Nation States sponsoring industrial espionage and organised criminal gangs. Victims include individuals who fall prey to scams and password theft to multinational companies such as, famously Sony. The financial details of 23,000 users of Sony Online Entertainment were stolen when its networks were breached by hackers in March 2011. The cost of the clean-up was reportedly $172m and the events caused a 9 % share price drop. 3. The internet has also been used to great effect by criminals to trade their cyber wares. Investigators have uncovered sophisticated black market operations such as DarkMarket and ShadowCrew who use the internet to trade cloned credit card data and bank account details, hire botnets (infected networks of computers) and deliver hacking tutorials. Although difficulties in establishing precise figures about the rate and the cost of cyber crime are acknowledged there is general agreement on its rapidly growing scale. Norton have calculated its global cost to be $388bn dollars a year in terms of financial losses and time lost. This is significantly more than the combined annual value of $288bn of the global black market trade in heroin, cocaine and marijuana. 4. UK governments have had a centralised approach to cyber crime and wider cyber threats since the launch of the UK's first Cyber Security Strategy in June 2009 and the corresponding National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) launched in November 2011. In the course of this inquiry we have looked specifically at the Home Office's remit under its much heralded Cyber Security Strategy. Details: London: The Stationery Office Limited, 2013. 165p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2013 at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmhaff/70/70.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmhaff/70/70.pdf Shelf Number: 129591 Keywords: Computer CrimeCybercrime (U.K.)Internet CrimeTechnology and Crime |
Author: Reddy, Vikrant P. Title: Cutting Edge Corrections: Using Technology to Improve Community Supervision in Texas Summary: Over the last three decades, the United States has seen an extraordinary burst of technological innovation. Desktop computing, mobile communication, and mapping are just a few aspects of daily life that are completely different than they were only thirty years ago. For Texas legislators, these innovations have provided exciting new opportunities throughout public policy. In education policy, for example, digital learning could lead to a revolution in student outcomes. Criminal justice policy in Texas is one area that could especially benefit from innovation. In particular, technology has the potential to completely revolutionize community supervision. The fundamental needs of community supervision are technologies for monitoring offenders, for communicating with them, and for analyzing data about them. In all of these areas, technology has grown leaps and bounds. Key Points - Use risk assessments to match probationers and parolees with the most appropriate level of supervision. - Explore use of including voice recognition reporting for the lowest-risk offenders, thus reallocating supervision resources to frequent home visits as well as GPS monitoring for high-risk offenders. - Given that many of those under supervision with technical probation revocations become absconders, consider using enhanced monitoring in order to reduce technical revocations. - While continuing to use ignition interlock devices where appropriate, also consider expanding the use of other alcohol detection devices that are directed at stopping alcohol abuse, not just drunk driving. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Public Policy Foundation, 2014. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Perspective: Accessed May 5, 2014 at: http://www.texaspolicy.com/sites/default/files/documents/2014-04-PP17-CuttingEdgeCorrections-CEJ-ReddyLevin_0.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.texaspolicy.com/sites/default/files/documents/2014-04-PP17-CuttingEdgeCorrections-CEJ-ReddyLevin_0.pdf Shelf Number: 132239 Keywords: Alcohol Interlock DevicesCommunity SupervisionCriminal Justice PolicyOffender MonitoringOffender SupervisionProbationersTechnology and Crime |
Author: Romanosky, Sasha Title: Internet Freedom Software and Illicit Activity: Supporting Human Rights Without Enabling Criminals Summary: The State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), as part of its broader effort to protect and advance political and economic freedoms and human rights, champions the United States' strategy for cyberspace to advocate for fundamental freedoms of speech and association through cyberspace; empower civil society actors, human rights activists, and journalists in their use of digital media; and encourage governments to limit neither the freedom of expression nor the free flow of information. To this end, DRL funds the development of many cyber security and privacy software programs. However, there are trade-offs associated with any such investment. On one hand, security and privacy tools can provide safe, reliable, and anonymous Internet access to people who would otherwise be censored, filtered, or punished for communicating electronically. On the other hand, these tools could also be used to conceal or commit illegal activity. This report examines the portfolio of tools funded by DRL that help support Internet freedom and assesses the impact of these tools in promoting U.S. interests. First, we note the benefits of these tools in promoting DRL's mission of Internet freedom across the world. Second, we examine their potential for, and examples of, their illicit use. Third, we consider the ability of comparable tools, not funded by the DRL, to be used for such purposes. And fourth, we examine safeguards and design and service models that could limit or restrict the use of the technologies for illicit purposes. The report concludes that DRL's support for Internet freedom tools has not made them more likely to be used for illicit purposes, relative to alternative technologies not funded by DRL. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2015. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2015 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1100/RR1151/RAND_RR1151.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1100/RR1151/RAND_RR1151.pdf Shelf Number: 135971 Keywords: Cybercrime Information Privacy Internet Crimes Internet Security Technology and Crime |
Author: Caglayan, Mustafa Title: Organized Crime and Technology Summary: This paper investigates the relation between the presence of organized crime and the technology level in north Italy. Our analysis proposes two provincial indexes. The first portrays technology at a fine-grained industrial sector level. The second describes mafia-type organizations in line with the investigation approach currently used by Italian National Antimafia Directorate (DNA) and Antimafia District Directorates (DDAs). With these indexes, we provide empirical evidence that in north Italy, the larger the presence of organized crime, the less innovation and the technological level of the industrial fabric. Our reading of this finding is that without organized crime, Nature selects agents according to their capacity to innovate. Instead, with organized crime, agents can choose an alternative strategy: relate with organized crime, which hinders innovation. Modelling the interaction innovation - relation with mafias by evolutionary game theory, we show that the presence of organized crime, through natural selection, leads to low levels of technology. Our model also shows how to use sanctions and indemnities to address the problem. Details: Pavia, Italy: Universit di Pavia, Department of Economics and Management, 2017. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: DEM Working Paper Series no. 136: Accessed September 16, 2017 at: http://economia.unipv.it/docs/dipeco/quad/ps/RePEc/pav/demwpp/DEMWP0136.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Italy URL: http://economia.unipv.it/docs/dipeco/quad/ps/RePEc/pav/demwpp/DEMWP0136.pdf Shelf Number: 147368 Keywords: Mafia Organized Crime Technology and Crime |
Author: Latonero, Mark Title: Technology and Labor Trafficking in a Network Society. General Overview, Emerging Innovations, and Philippines Case Study Summary: While interviewing survivors of labor trafficking for this report, researchers heard from a young woman in the Philippines who applied for domestic work in the Middle East. She recounted the way her friend, already working abroad, had called and sent texts of encouragement and eventually put her in touch with a recruiter. She was promised that her documents would be arranged with an employer before her flight to begin work. Upon her departure, the recruiter said that plans had changed. She was told her work papers and airline ticket would be issued in Malaysia. The woman was put on a boat and spent over a week crossing the Sulu Sea from one island to another. She was isolated. Her only means of communication was her mobile phone. Not wanting to worry her family (they had high hopes for her employment), she communicated only with her friend, asking for advice and reassurance. Even if she had been able to access the Internet, it is unclear whether she possessed the skills or knowledge to search for the appropriate online resources. Once in Malaysia, she was put into a van with others. While traveling to an unknown destination they were apprehended by police. Interrogated and imprisoned, the young woman managed to sneak her phone into jail and made one last call. Finally, the friend passed along word of her plight and the Philippine government intervened. After a month in prison she was repatriated and is currently in a rehabilitation shelter in Manila. This report finds that isolation from the technologies and social networks that connect individuals to support and services is an indicator and risk factor for labor trafficking. Stories of isolation are unfortunately common in cases of labor trafficking. What is striking in the case above is the central role played by technology. The woman's mobile device both connects and disconnects her from illegal recruiters, employers, family, friends, social services, and assistance. This speaks to the larger premise of this report - new information and communication technologies (ICT's) have become an integral part of the networks that underpin labor trafficking in the 21st Century. Yet little research exists on the impact of technology in exacerbating or addressing the isolation, fraud, force, and/or coercion so often at the heart of trafficking cases. There is a lack of evidence-based research on any relationship between technology and labor trafficking either within or across national borders. To effectively intervene in labor trafficking, the impact of technology needs to be addressed by policy makers, governments, NGOs, researchers, and the private sector. Throughout the world, the rapid diffusion of technologies, such as social media, mobile devices, and the Internet, is impacting social, economic, and political life at an unprecedented scale. We live in a "network society" where technology and the flow of information are crucial forces of global social change. The network perspective helps us examine labor trafficking in a new way - not only as an economic, regulatory, or legal problem but as an issue driven by the technologies connecting networks of actors. This research report is the first to investigate the relationship between technology and labor trafficking. This project began in early 2014 and was made possible by a grant from Humanity United. The research builds upon the Technology and Human Trafficking Initiative, launched in 2010 at the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy at the University of Southern California. The evidence gathered and analyzed in this report is based on public documents, websites, interviews with key stakeholders in the US and internationally, and fieldwork in the Philippines. With little previous research on the topic, this study is inherently exploratory. Thus this report's primary goal is to frame technology's impact on labor trafficking and to establish a set of definitions, theories, terms, themes, recommendations, and principles that can guide future research and policy. Details: Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, 2015. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 9, 2018 at: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/files/2015/10/USC_Tech-and-Labor-Trafficking_Feb2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Philippines URL: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/files/2015/10/USC_Tech-and-Labor-Trafficking_Feb2015.pdf Shelf Number: 149415 Keywords: Domestic WorkersForced LaborHuman TraffickingLabor TraffickingMobile TechnologiesMobile TelephonesOnline CommunicationsSocial MediaTechnology and Crime |