Friday, April 12, 2013

Google launches global human trafficking helpline

Tech giant Google will spend $3 million to build a global help line network based on real data, bringing together three groups dedicated to the elimination of human trafficking.

The Google Global Human Trafficking Hotline Network was announced at an event held by its Google Ideas think tank in Washington. The think tank donated $11 million to the cause in 2011, and now Google has made a commitment, bringing together three NGOs – the Polaris Project, Liberty Asia and La Strada International – that cover the U.S., Asia and Europe.

Because there is a dearth of accurate statistics, Google wants to unite groups from across the world to share key data and better target the problem. For example, each time a call is logged, its location and all the factual data provided by the caller can be logged and analyzed, which would reveal emerging patterns of where people are being trafficked or where they're working.

For more of the Ars Technica story: arstechnica.com

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