Hacktivism to End Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery
by Dr. G
O.K., I know, that's a heavy title. But, what you may not know is that close to 30 million people are currently enslaved around the world right now, and some estimates put that number even higher.
Think about that for a minute. Men, women, and children are being forced to work in fields, shops, brothels, and private homes without any pay and with little chance for escape. And it is all happening in the 21st century!
So, what does that have to do with hacking?
Well, a lot of the communication used by those in the modern-day slave trade happens on the Internet and a lot of their coordination is done through sites on the dark web. Different forms of advertising are posted in a variety of formats offering services to customers and it's pretty much impossible to trace this activity through Tor which allows for this "industry" to continue to grow.
I have a friend who works for a large anti-human trafficking organization and I asked him one day if anyone ever thought about attacking these organizations in a militaristic manner that just takes these guys out.
He looked at me like I was crazy. I suppose it was a crazy question and an extreme idea, but then I had what I thought was a better idea. What if hackers all over the world began to systematically locate and shut down any site used for child pornography, sex slavery, or human trafficking?
You may have noticed that someone associated with Anonymous took down more than 10,000 child pornography sites earlier this year by hitting Freedom Hosting II.
That's a good start, but we have a lot more work to do. Law enforcement officers were also able to nab 700 plus suspects in human trafficking stings during the 2017 Super Bowl. If you pay attention to the news, you'll notice that this happens every year because it is sadly common for traffickers to bring kids and women to these areas every year and force them to have sex with customers.
What can we do about it?
Well, I think we can do a lot. If you spend any time on the dark web, you are likely to come across one of these sites eventually; you may even know exactly where some of them are located now. You could turn a blind eye, but I'd like to suggest to you - if you have any real skillz - to use these sites as a place to practice. I honestly doubt anyone in law enforcement would care if some hackers decided to start shutting down websites that facilitate the sale and transfer of human slaves.
And there could be an added bonus. I didn't read any negative press when Anonymous took down the child porn sites; most of the stories were actually written from a positive perspective. What if we can change the perception of hacking by systematically eliminating a serious world problem? Maybe, just maybe, governments would take notice and start to listen to all the good ideas we have.
I know the hacking community isn't usually friendly towards governments or law enforcement, and that's probably because they are not typically friendly towards us. Don't think of this as a way to help them out. Think of it as a way to help out the people who are being trafficked.
If we can shut down the traffickers' ability to communicate and coordinate online, it will force them to go old-school, which can decrease their profits, increase their chance of getting caught, and ultimately lead to the freeing of the slaves they have in their possession.
Let me be clear.
I'm not advocating for eliminating the dark web or Tor because I know they exist for what many in the hacking world would consider a good reason. I also recognize that evil people will always find ways to commit evil acts. But I think we can all draw the line at actual, no kidding, slavery of human beings.
Who's with me?
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