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Abstract
There are few data on the use of technology in human trafficking. This study attempted to address this gap in knowledge through field surveys that took place in India, Nepal, Thailand, Hungary, and the United Kingdom between 2010 and 2013. This research comprised face-to-face interviews with a total number of 246 individuals in 5 countries, consisting of 97 female victims, 64 traffickers, and 85 clients. The interviews were designed to help understand the role of technology such as the Internet, online social networking, and mobile phones in human trafficking. The survey was carried out using semi-structured questionnaires to find out how victims used technological devices under pre- and post-trafficking circumstances, how they advertised themselves, how diverse services and technologies were used to trade in sexually exploited trafficked people, and how clients explored, communicated, and paid for their sex transactions. The results showed that traffickers and their networks made good use of sophisticated software in order to safeguard their anonymity, make use of online storage and hosting services, and use advanced encryption techniques to counteract digital forensic investigations by the police.
Acknowledgements
The author is indebted to the University Grants Commission and the Indian Council for Social Science Research, New Delhi; the National Research Council of Thailand, Bangkok; the Hungarian Scholarship Board, Budapest; and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, London, for sponsoring the visits to execute this research. Collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology, Thammasat University, Corvinus University of Budapest, Central European University, the University of London, Cambridge University, London School of Economics and Political Science along with the support from home departments & offices and police higher-ups in the countries surveyed is appreciatively acknowledged.