Combating Human Trafficking Through Facial Recognition Research Paper

Combating Human Trafficking Through Facial Recognition
Catherine Spears
University of New Haven
Abstract
Trafficking in persons continues to be a growing global health issue. Often, people do not entirely understand the circumstances regarding why people become trafficking victims. Human trafficking is the exploitation of the vulnerability, which continues to thrive until organizations collaborate to combat this issue. Although there are laws in place to assist in combating trafficking in persons, it still has been difficult for law enforcement to attack the network. With technological advances, organizations can utilize biometrics to assist in combating human trafficking. This study will analyze the effectiveness of facial recognition to combat human trafficking. This specific type of biometric data can assist in identifying traffickers and victims by finally being able to put a face to a name. Findings from this study will indicate that human trafficking is an international crisis, in which laws and regulations will not be enough to combat this issue, but the use of facial recognition can aid in the combat of human trafficking.
Key Words: Facial recognition, technology, biometric data, human trafficking, combat, and airports.
Combating Human Trafficking Through Facial Recognition Technology
Human trafficking is one of the major concerns in the creation of international policies, especially in the twenty-first century. Although most people confuse human trafficking and human smuggling, the two terms have notable differences. Over the years, governments and policymakers have invented facial recognition systems as useful tools for combating human trafficking. Law enforcement officers utilize the technology in tracing the rational path and track the movements of people in and out of a country. Notably, the facial recognition technology prevents people believed to be security threats from entering a country. In most instances, people fail to comprehend the circumstances, which can influence them to become victims of human trafficking. Therefore, biometric information can assist in identifying traffickers alongside setting effective laws and regulations. Facial recognition technology is one of the effective strategies of identifying victims and perpetrators of human trafficking in airports and borders.
The widespread exploitation of people in different parts of the world is unacceptable to people with a conscience. Human attackers target people who are weak, inferior, or those who are having other forms of vulnerabilities. A security governance analysis of anti-trafficking laws illustrates the need to use facial recognition to monitor the nature of human trafficking (Remington, 2016). Developed countries have made notable progress in harmonizing legislation and incorporating modern forms of technology in controlling and addressing the issue of human trafficking. Security plays a significant role in enhancing developmental responses to expedite the process of human trafficking. Despite privacy invasion, which occurs because of facial recognition, modern technology is effective in addressing human trafficking.
The market for facial recognition technology devices has expanded exponentially because of increased surveillance concerns. However, critics argue that the technology lacks the needed federal regulations. Besides, other critics postulate that facial recognition technology is inaccurate in that it creates biases of information. Despite the increased critics, law enforcement officers have embraced modern technology in identifying the victims of human trafficking. The current era of proliferation of new forms of technology has resulted in increased use of technology in identifying and verifying people from a digital image or video. As a result of increased concerns about the inaccuracy of facial recognition technology, policymakers have invented a 3-dimensional recognition technique, which is more accurate in capturing information regarding the shape of a face (Bovee, 2019). Importantly, the derived information helps in identifying distinctive features, such as the contour of the chin, nose, and eye sockets. One of the unique advantages of the technology is that changes in lighting do not change its accuracy, thus enhancing the precision of facial recognition.
Equally, skin texture analysis is a useful technology in enhancing the effectiveness of facial recognition technology. The technology helps in turning the unique lines and facial spots into a mathematical space. In such a case, law enforcement officers have a chance of taking a picture and breaking it into smaller blocks. Therefore, the process of identifying and addressing the common issues of human trafficking has become more productive. Most technology companies have combined 3-D facial recognition and skin textual analysis to enhance the success rate of detection. Over the years, most countries have invented thermal cameras in detecting the shape of a head as a security measure of improving facial recognition. Unlike the traditional conventional cameras, the thermal cameras can capture images in low-light and at night without any flashlight or exposition the position of a camera. However, one of the shortcomings of the thermal cameras is that the database of facial recognition is limited.
Facial recognition software has become one of the most effective software in identifying victims of human trafficking. Therefore, the government and policymakers can have a chance of embarking on effective measures to address the issue. The technology is widely used in shopping centers, airports, venues, especially by law enforcement officers, with an obligation of dealing with the issue of human trafficking. Despite the privacy and other ethical issues related to modern technology, the potential benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Kennedy (2019) posits that facial recognition utilizes the database of photographs, such as driver’s license photographs and mug shots to identify people in videos and photos. Besides, the technology uses biometrics in facial mapping features and determining people’s identity through crucial elements of the face, for example, the nose. The geometry of the face is one of the most fundamental aspects of facial recognition based on the distance between the eyes and forehead to the chin.
Most states have recognized the need for implementing effective mechanisms for addressing the general issues of human trafficking. One of the essential components of security measures is monitoring the victims and perpetrators of human trafficking. Facial recognition is a convenient way of tracking the movement of people in airports, boarding areas, and other public areas. Most international airports have launched biometric entry point programs to monitor facial images and compare that with their passports (Kennedy, 2019. One of the unique features of facial recognition is the convenience of taking photographs without the knowledge of potential human traffickers. As a result, it has become more convenient to address the challenge of human trafficking across airports and other public places. Importantly, the use of biometric technology has improved the monitoring process in airports
Notably, airline attendants request passengers to direct their faces towards a camera rather than producing a boarding pass. The new invention has played a significant role in the efforts of overcoming security challenges, which leads to human trafficking. The facial recognition technology has become inescapable and pervasive in airports and any other public places. According to research findings, airports have become testing grounds for security technology. Therefore, governments have an opportunity of verifying the identity of travelers. Over the years, convenience stores, workplaces, and baseball stadiums have realized the need to use facial recognition technology as a security standard. Policymakers work collaboratively with technology experts to link boarding systems with the database of passports and visas, especially in airports. Notably, the shift to facial recognition has enhanced efficiency in security to curb the increased rates of human trafficking.
Governments and policymakers commit to addressing human trafficking as one of the unique forms of modern-day slavery. Arguably, the use of facial recognition technology in the transportation sector has minimized the overall incidents of human trafficking. The efforts of combating human trafficking are growing and manifold. The use of monitoring is a comprehensive strategy of supporting the survivors and victims of human trafficking. The government must train all the airport employees on effective ways of utilizing the modern forms of technology in enhancing overall security levels and prevent incidents of human trafficking. In the contemporary world, governments have collaborated with relevant stakeholders in funding airports and other public facilities to enhance the monitoring process. Therefore, the employees in the transport sector have a significant role in identifying and reporting various incidents of human trafficking.
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