Unveiling the Subterranean Web using A Comprehensive Analysis of Digital Human Trafficking Networks and Covert Operations

Authors

  • Amelia Reyes Center for Digital Criminology, Cyber City University, Liechtenstein
  • Marcus Silva Institute of Techno-Social Studies, Innovation University, Liechtenstein
  • Elena Rodriguez Institute of Techno-Social Studies, Innovation University, Liechtenstein

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61963/jkt.v2i1.84

Keywords:

Covert Operations, Blockchain Analytics, Cryptocurrency Transactions, Digital Human Trafficking

Abstract

This study dives into the hidden operations of virtual human trafficking networks, with an emphasis on the quantitative examination of bitcoin transaction volume. Our data reveal a modest financial scale with a wide variety of transaction amounts, emphasizing the resilience and diversity of traffickers' economic strategies. Cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, have emerged as key facilitators of unlawful activities, demanding joint efforts across the cybersecurity and regulatory enforcement sectors. Technological equipment, particularly blockchain analytics and transaction monitoring, are critical for tracing and understanding these transactions. Policymakers are urged to develop dynamic regulatory measures and promote public-private collaborations to find a compromise between privacy concerns and the transparency required in bitcoin transactions. The study adds significantly to our understanding of the monetary dynamics inside digital human trafficking networks, giving subtle insights that will inspire targeted interventions and adaptive solutions. Ongoing research, combining both qualitative and quantitative elements, is crucial for staying ahead of traffickers and developing effective interventions to protect vulnerable people. Our findings contribute to the greater discussion about combating digital human trafficking, underlining the importance of technical advancements, changing legislative frameworks, and collaborative activities.

 

 

References

Akcinaroglu, S., & Shi, M. (2023). Exploring the Impact of Cryptocurrency on Terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2023.2275057

Amble, J. C. (2012). Combating terrorism in the new media environment. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 35(5), 339-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2012.666819

Amedie, J. (2015). The impact of social media on society.

Andersson, D. (2020). A novel approach to calculate individuals’ carbon footprints using financial transaction data–App development and design. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, 120396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120396

Asal, V. H., Rethemeyer, R. K., & Schoon, E. W. (2019). Crime, conflict, and the legitimacy trade-off: Explaining variation in insurgents’ participation in crime. The Journal of Politics, 81(2), 399-410. https://doi.org/10.1086/701492

Chachko, E. (2021). National Security by Platform. Stan. Tech. L. Rev., 25, 55.

Cooke, S. J., Bergman, J. N., Twardek, W. M., Piczak, M. L., Casselberry, G. A., Lutek, K., ... & Lennox, R. J. (2022). The movement ecology of fishes. Journal of Fish Biology, 101(4), 756-779.

Dawson, M., Omar, M., Abramson, J., Leonard, B., & Bessette, D. (2017). Battlefield Cyberspace: Exploitation of Hyperconnectivity and Internet of Things. In Developing Next-Generation Countermeasures for Homeland Security Threat Prevention (pp. 204-235). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0703-1.ch010

Dell, N. A., Maynard, B. R., Born, K. R., Wagner, E., Atkins, B., & House, W. (2019). Helping survivors of human trafficking: A systematic review of exit and postexit interventions. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 20(2), 183-196. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838017692553

Denning, D. E. (2001). Activism, hacktivism, and cyberterrorism: The Internet as a tool for influencing foreign policy. Networks and netwars: The future of terror, crime, and militancy, 239, 288.

DeStefano, A. (2007). The war on human trafficking: US policy assessed. Rutgers University Press.

Dougherty, D., & Dunne, D. D. (2012). Digital science and knowledge boundaries in complex innovation. Organization Science, 23(5), 1467-1484. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0700

Dupuis, D., & Gleason, K. (2020). Money laundering with cryptocurrency: open doors and the regulatory dialectic. Journal of Financial Crime, 28(1), 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-06-2020-0113

Emser, M. (2013). The politics of human trafficking in South Africa: a case study of the KwaZulu-Natal intersectoral task team and South African counter-trafficking governance (Doctoral dissertation).

Finnemore, M., & Hollis, D. B. (2016). Constructing norms for global cybersecurity. American Journal of International Law, 110(3), 425-479. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0002930000016894

Gelinas, L., Pierce, R., Winkler, S., Cohen, I. G., Lynch, H. F., & Bierer, B. E. (2017). Using social media as a research recruitment tool: ethical issues and recommendations. The American Journal of Bioethics, 17(3), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2016.1276644

Ghappour, A. (2017). Searching places unknown: Law enforcement jurisdiction on the dark web. Stan. L. Rev., 69, 1075.

Giddens, L., Petter, S., & Fullilove, M. H. (2023). Information technology as a resource to counter domestic sex trafficking in the United States. Information Systems Journal, 33(1), 8-33. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12339

Holland, N., Bolognesi, C., Kirsch-Volders, M., Bonassi, S., Zeiger, E., Knasmueller, S., & Fenech, M. (2008). The micronucleus assay in human buccal cells as a tool for biomonitoring DNA damage: the HUMN project perspective on current status and knowledge gaps. Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research, 659(1-2), 93-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrrev.2008.03.007

Honar Pajooh, H., Rashid, M. A., Alam, F., & Demidenko, S. (2021). IoT Big Data provenance scheme using blockchain on Hadoop ecosystem. Journal of Big Data, 8, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-021-00505-y

Janssen, M. A., Anderies, J. M., & Ostrom, E. (2007). Robustness of social-ecological systems to spatial and temporal variability. Society and Natural Resources, 20(4), 307-322. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920601161320

Kim, T., Ochoa, J., Faika, T., Mantooth, H. A., Di, J., Li, Q., & Lee, Y. (2020). An overview of cyber-physical security of battery management systems and adoption of blockchain technology. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, 10(1), 1270-1281. https://doi.org/10.1109/JESTPE.2020.2968490

Konrad, R. A., Maass, K. L., Dimas, G. L., & Trapp, A. C. (2023). Perspectives on how to conduct responsible anti-human trafficking research in operations and analytics. European Journal of Operational Research, 309(1), 319-329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2022.12.028

McGuinness, S. R. (2020). The Experiences of Opioid Sourcing Cryptomarket Users. University of Rochester.

Mendel, J., & Sharapov, K. (2016). Human trafficking and online networks: Policy, analysis, and ignorance. Antipode, 48(3), 665-684. https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12213

Musto, J. (2019). The limits and possibilities of data-driven antitrafficking efforts. Ga. St. UL Rev., 36, 1147. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15153

QC, F. G., Muraszkiewicz, J., & Vavoula, N. (2016). The role of technology in the fight against human trafficking: Reflections on privacy and data protection concerns. Computer Law & Security Review, 32(2), 205-217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2015.12.015

Ragnedda, M., & Muschert, G. W. (Eds.). (2017). Theorizing digital divides. Routledge.

Reddy, E., & Minnaar, A. (2018). Cryptocurrency: A tool and target for cybercrime. Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology, 31(3), 71-92. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-14d902942d

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2021. United Nations. 2004. United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto. Available at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/middleeastandnorthafrica/organised-crime/UNITED_NATIONS_CONVENTION_AGAINST_TRANSNATIONAL_ORGANIZED_CRIME_AND_THE_PROTOCOLS_THERETO.pdf [Accessed 1 December 2023]

UNODC, n.d. United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto Available at: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/organized-crime/intro/UNTOC.html [Accessed 3 December 2023]

Upadhyay, A., Mukhuty, S., Kumar, V., & Kazancoglu, Y. (2021). Blockchain technology and the circular economy: Implications for sustainability and social responsibility. Journal of cleaner production, 293, 126130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126130

Warren, K. B. (2012). Troubling the victim/trafficker dichotomy in efforts to combat human trafficking: the unintended consequences of moralizing labor migration. Indiana Journal of global legal Studies, 19(1), 105-120. https://doi.org/10.2979/indjglolegstu.19.1.105

Downloads

Published

2024-01-07

How to Cite

Reyes, A., Silva, M. ., & Rodriguez, E. . (2024). Unveiling the Subterranean Web using A Comprehensive Analysis of Digital Human Trafficking Networks and Covert Operations. Journal of Judikaltura, 2(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.61963/jkt.v2i1.84