The internet has enabled a proliferation of marketplaces for services, from freelancers, to job servers to adult services to logistics to dating to accommodation. While this has changed the economy and delivered benefits to users and customers, it has also created a fertile soil for exploitation.
The basic functionality of these sites is similar, an advert for services is posted, along with reviewing, messaging and payment functionality, and we have seen a proliferation of posts that are aimed at luring people into trafficking situations, or enabling the economic exploitation of people.
Within these adverts and chats are clues to high-risk exploitation. By manually reviewing adverts STT has successfully fed these to FIs and LEA that have led to direct action, e.g. multiple SARs and to site owners to shut down these adverts. To make a difference we need to scale this dramatically from piecemeal analysis (building on current work) to a truly global safeguarding tool that can incorporate data from across the world and in multiple languages.
In this workshop, Stop the Traffik will present on how it uses digital tools, and members interested in collaborating with them are invited to take part.
- Where: techUK, 10 St Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD.
- When: 9:30am - 12pm, Monday 13 May
- Agenda:
- 09:30 - 09:40 Introduction and welcome
- 09:40 - 10:00 Disrupting Trafficking – Ruth Dearnley, CEO, Stop The Traffik
- 10:00 - 10:20 How traffickers use technology to exploit people – Neil Giles, Director of Intelligence, Stop the Traffik
- 10:20 - 10:30 STT tech stack – Tom Higgens, Director of Data and Technology, Stop the Traffik
- 10:30 - 10:40 Break
- 10:40 - 11:30 Breakouts
- How can tech companies work together to stop this exploitation?
- How to spot traffickers using the websites to exploit vulnerable people ?
- What tools are available that could help?
- 11:30 - 11:40 Break
- 11:40 - 12:30 Report from breakouts, round up of solutions available and next steps
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Contact the team
Weronika Dorociak
Weronika Dorociak
Weronika joined techUK as a Programme Manager for Sustainability in October 2023.
Her role involves advocating for the tech sector in front of key policymakers and stakeholders. Weronika also leads the environmental and sustainability efforts within the Data Centres Group.
Prior to joining techUK, Weronika worked in public affairs and government relations in the legal sector, focusing on innovation and ESG within financial services. She also spent 2 years working as a Caseworker at Parliament. She holds a BA in Politics & International Relations from Queen Mary University of London.
Outside of work, Weronika can be found on a tennis court, at the gym, practicing yoga, or indulging in her love for Taylor Swift's music as a dedicated Swiftie.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/weronikaedorociak/
Craig Melson
Craig Melson
Craig is Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability and leads on our work in these areas ranging from climate change, ESG disclosures and due diligence, through to circular economy, business and human rights, conflict minerals and post-Brexit regulation.
Prior to joining techUK he worked in public affairs and policy has an avid interest in new and emerging technologies. Craig has a degree in Ancient History from King’s College London and spends his time watching Watford FC and holding out hope for Half Life 3.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2172
- Twitter:
- @techUK,@techUK
- Website:
- www.techuk.org,www.techuk.org
- LinkedIn:
- https://uk.linkedin.com/in/craig-melson-25479936,https://uk.linkedin.com/in/craig-melson-25479936
Lucas Banach
Lucas Banach
Lucas Banach is Programme Assistant at techUK, he works on a range of programmes including Data Centres; Climate, Environment & Sustainability; Market Access and Smart Infrastructure and Systems.
Before that Lucas who joined in 2008, held various roles in our organisation, which included his role as Office Executive, Groups and Concept Viability Administrator, and most recently he worked as Programme Executive for Public Sector. He has a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski Cracow University.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2006
- Twitter:
- @techUK
- Website:
- www.techuk.org
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-banach-50139650
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