Yesterday, the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation held a hearing titled “Using Modern Tools to Counter Human Trafficking.” The session focused on how traffickers use technology to exploit victims and the challenges law enforcement faces due to outdated resources. Members also discussed how new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are being used to identify and protect victims, while emphasizing concerns about protecting victim privacy.
Megan Lundstrom, Chief Executive Officer of Polaris, highlighted the shift in trafficking methods over time. "A decade ago, traffickers found people like me at gas stations and bus stops. They exploited us through hotels, prepaid gift cards and burner phones. Today, it’s algorithmic targeting apps and digital wallets, where traffickers find us and sell us has evolved because technology has evolved. But why they target us and exploit us remains the same…Traffickers are opportunists. They will always adopt new technology faster than systems with compliance obligations. Our national response must be nimble to keep up, but never at the expense of the people we aim to protect."
Melissa Snow, Executive Director for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), addressed how child sex trafficking increasingly uses online platforms: "Child sex trafficking is a technology facilitated crime that occurs on the clear web. The internet provides unregulated and anonymous spaces where traffickers and buyers can engage with children in ways that would never be acceptable. Offline children are often approached first and groomed by offenders on gaming platforms and social media platforms. Traffickers and buyers also use publicly available online escort and dating websites, as well as social media to advertise, sell and purchase children for sex."
The hearing underscored that AI tools can help law enforcement close investigative gaps and build stronger cases against traffickers.
Ms. Lundstrom explained Polaris's efforts: "Ethical technology has enormous potential to combat human trafficking. With survivor input from day one, Polaris built a causal AI model that identifies structural drivers of trafficking. It shows, for example, that in the United States, child poverty is one of the strongest predictors of vulnerability to trafficking. This tool allows policy makers like you to test how interventions, like childcare tax credits for working families, could reduce the risk before exploitation ever occurs. We can use technology to change the conditions that traffickers prey on."
Ms. Snow described practical applications: "Another specific anti-trafficking tool, Traffic Cam, allows NCMEC to use a search feature to identify hotel rooms where child sex trafficking victims have been photographed. Using these innovative tools is life-saving. When we can connect a missing child to an active online escort ad advertising a child for sale in a specific city, and it is even more powerful when we can narrow it to a specific hotel. Being able to pass along a lead that is actionable for law enforcement can mean significantly reducing the amount of time that child is experiencing a nightmare."
Cara Jones of Marinus Analytics provided additional insight into data-driven investigations: "Over 75 million ads for commercial sex flood the U.S. marketplace online. Hidden among them are a vast number of victims of trafficking...With over 1.3 billion records indexed, Traffic Jam delivers actionable insights in seconds...Its intelligence strengthens cases and reduces the burden on victims and investigators...Technology turns data into a clear story...A profound innovation is using ai ethically to screen missing persons for trafficking risk...In just two years...we detected 734 victims..."
Lawmakers questioned witnesses about advances in technology used for protection efforts.
Chairwoman Nancy Mace asked about effective technological solutions: “And then in terms of technology ... what has been ... working ... with the advances of technology we see today?”
Ms. Snow responded: “Thank you so much for that question...Spotlight, Traffic Jam, Traffic Cam—that we use every single day in making connections between active missing children that are actively being exploited...with these being small companies ... there’s continued resources [needed] ...to ensure that we can continue to evolve with offenders.”
Rep. Eric Burlison raised questions regarding AI's role in identifying potential cases without compromising privacy.
Rep. Burlison asked Ms. Snow about NCMEC's AI process.
Ms Snow replied: “Absolutely....in terms of how NCMEC is currently utilizing AI,...as we continue to receive an increase in volume,...we have identified that we need...to leverage ... all of the data points....the reality ...is exceeding human capacity with ... reports....by now layering an AI component,...it has allowed us ...to pull nuanced data points....when we stack them together,...[they] create a more reliable indicator of possible trafficking.”
When Rep Burlison asked if open web usage was common among traffickers:
Ms Snow said: “[The] very simple answer...that’s where the kids are...Traffickers are going to be in places where they can have access to children..."
Rep Burlison also questioned Ms Lundstrom about sharing data with law enforcement without endangering victim privacy.
Ms Lundstrom stated: “In running the National Human Trafficking Hotline for ...18 years,...our team has developed over 300 protocols around identifying trafficking situations...[W]e start first...with laws recognizing...[mandated reporting obligations]...[T]hat sounds very simple....the reality is that it isn’t....those protocols really break down how best make those decisions.”
Congressional members emphasized evaluating current federal anti-trafficking laws and seeking improvements.
