International Journal on Criminology Volume 7, Number 2, Spring 2020 | Page 109

International Journal on Criminology
smaller human smuggling and trafficking operations first identified by US law enforcement
over two decades ago, before these criminals expanded significantly by
exploiting the internet. 26 The supply chain of the operation revealed through this
advanced network analysis shows a direct link between sales overseas of commercial
sex and the key node of the network in China.
Historically, OSINT has played an important, but secondary, role in investigations;
however, OSINT, as this case reveals, has the potential to be a primary
method of discovery and research, especially in regards to trafficking for sexual
exploitation. The development of Memex’s dataset and tools profoundly changed
the means by which human trafficking investigations have been undertaken in
some jurisdictions. With tools developed through Memex, capable of analyzing
and categorizing large quantities of data, OSINT obtained by scraping and analyzing
enormous amounts of web content has assumed a key role in the discovery of
criminal activity, mapping illicit networks and supply chains, and identifying key
facilitators and elusive kingpins, specifically within organized human trafficking
operations. The OSINT techniques used in identifying this criminal network may
be useful in studying other criminal networks beyond the scope of human trafficking
activity, given the migration of many forms of organized crime onto the web.
Despite the enactment of SESTA-FOSTA and the seizure of Backpage on
which this network was initially detected, the problem of trafficking for sexual
exploitation through online advertisement for sexual services has not ended. Although
legislation continues to limit where advertisements are posted, exploiters
will continue to migrate to new escort advertisement sites, hide behind sites with
paywalls, and move to social media and encrypted communication platforms given
the profitability of human trafficking. All of these factors suggest OSINT and
large-scale data processing and analytical tools will remain important for future
investigations as traffickers, and the technology they use, evolve. To continue to
conduct these proactive, network-based investigations, technology companies,
law enforcement, and government entities, such as DARPA, must continue to invest
in new technology to counter criminal networks and provide intelligence to
law enforcement. Technology companies, law enforcement, legislators and policymakers
need to be prepared for the constant shifting of the criminal space in
regards to human trafficking and be able to respond to nimble and innovative
criminal enterprises.
26 Louise Shelley, Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge
University Press), 114–118.
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