WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2019
/PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that Watson
Discovery and Natural Language Processing technology, along
with IBM public cloud technology, is now being used by public,
private and not-for-profit organizations as they collaborate to
disrupt human trafficking.
Sometimes called "modern slavery," human trafficking is a
lucrative crime that exploits vulnerable people. Beginning today,
stakeholders fighting this scourge have access to a powerful, new
technology resource called Traffik Analysis Hub (TA Hub),
co-created by IBM and donated to a consortium of public, private,
and not for profit organizations, led by STOP THE
TRAFFIK (STT), a non-governmental organization (NGO).
TA Hub, which runs on IBM public cloud, was developed on a pro
bono basis and features technology donated by IBM. The system
enables authorized organizations, such as financial service
companies, NGOs and law enforcement agencies, to collaborate
systematically, on a continuous basis. They can now securely share
and analyze data to connect seemingly unrelated clues that confirm
and pinpoint suspected criminal activity. Organizations that have
signed on to the Traffik Analysis Hub can potentially gain insights
and context they may not have been able to easily obtain on their
own.
Because trafficking activity transcends borders and industries,
it requires substantial coordination to address. To that end, the
TA Hub allows authorized members to collect, securely share and
analyze data in the cloud. There, non-personal data related to
human trafficking is uploaded and transformed into actionable
intelligence. Initial TA Hub participants include Barclays,
Europol, Liberty Shared, Love Justice International, and Western
Union.
In the TA Hub, which provides a substantial repository of
trafficking-related metadata sets, AI augments human intelligence.
Analysts collate and analyze data, then apply technology like
Watson Discovery and Natural Language Processing to highlight
patterns of data that trace possible trafficking activity. The
technology can, for example, correlate suspicious financial
transactions with publicly reported incidents related to suspected
trafficking activity. This technology approach will help: NGOs
educate communities to prevent recruitment and to rescue and
reintegrate survivors; law enforcement agencies, to pursue
perpetrators; policy makers, to formulate smarter regulations;
financial institutions, to identify and freeze criminally obtained
proceeds; and businesses, to ensure supply chains are free from
exploitation.
"We're optimistic that technologies such as AI can be an
important part of improving the lives of so many people," said
Guillermo Miranda, Global Head of
IBM Corporate Social Responsibility. "What's also key here is the
collaboration of public, private and not-for-profit sectors --
addressing the issue together. They're telling us that the shared
knowledge and intelligence from the Traffik Analysis Hub will
enable them to make real progress in addressing human
trafficking."
Modern slavery is estimated to be a $150
billion global industry, trapping an estimated 40.3
million people worldwide and more profitable than illegal
drugs or white collar crime, according to the International Labor
Organization. Traffickers depend on cheap or forced labor for
agriculture, prostitution, hospitality and manufacturing.
Organizers lure vulnerable people to work under harsh conditions
for inadequate pay.
In September 2019, at the European
Data Science Awards, the Traffik Analysis Hub project won for the
category "Innovative Use of AI for Social Impact."
For more information about the Traffik Analysis Hub, please
visit http://www.traffikanalysis.org/
Media Contact:
Ari Fishkind
IBM Media Relations
914-499-6420
fishkind@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM