country every day, law enforcement cannot manually keep up with the volume of ads as they work to identify and track potential victims. Spotlight is a web tool used by law enforcement agencies to more efficiently search the internet for victim and trafficker information. Thorn is a registered 501(c)(3) organizationEIN: 27-0943677, 2023 Thorn. about GuideStar Pro. Spotlight is the #1 investigative tool I have utilized to find child victims and arrest their traffickers in countless cases. Hopeful that investigators could use technology to identify victims more quickly, we tested an early version of a potential tool among key agencies with promising results. Spotlight Data How often is the information in Spotlight refreshed? 5 0 obj An infographic detailing the reach that Spotlight has gained, since its national roll-out in February 2015. Building is a core value that informs every strategy in our organization. Just within the last 12 months investigators reported: Officers who login weekly report a time savings of 60% in their human trafficking investigations. Commit to wearing a dress or tie every day in December. The Amazon Rekognition team has been very responsive in helping us address any challenges we encounter.". From there the software developed further to better analyze and track data that can lead to building strong cases against traffickers and finding the victims. This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ. Empowering law enforcement to collaborate beyond jurisdictions or national borders is a key to success in identifying victims who are moved frequently, or are broadcast through peer-to-peer platforms (P2P) on the dark web from a hidden location. Finally, we were awarded the 2015 Cloudera Social Impact Award, for the work we did on Spotlight. Thorn has created a program called Spotlight. Spotlight can connect contacts in minutes where it would take me weeks, if not months to do the same thing. Spotlight takes this massive amount of data and turns it into an asset for law enforcement. The organization's co-leader identifies as: Already have a GuideStar Account? Powered by 3.0 GHz Intel Xeon Scalable processors, Amazon EC2 C5 instances offer a memory-to-vCPU ratio that is ideal for demanding inference applications. There are over 150,000 escort ads posted daily, and Spotlight takes this massive amount of data and turns it into an asset for law enforcement. Hi-fidelity prototypes of key touch points on the Spotlight website. and who do the programs serve? Spotlight is a robust search tool that uses machine learning to help law enforcement identify victims of trafficking online. These recent survey results confirm our initial hypothesis that Spotlight has indeed been an asset for law enforcement in earlier victim identification, collaboration and productivity. Spotlights analytics pipeline begins with a third-party solution that ingests more than 100,000 new online escort ads each day, storing text and image data as objects in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) buckets. Additionally, through my stakeholder analysis, I focused on Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) - a leading law enforcement education center - and the DOJ (both of whom I know, because I currently consult for them on human trafficking). Julie was raised in Lindsay, California, a small farming community in Californias Central Valley. All of our technology partners are making crucial contributions to this fight. To build the world we believe in, we know we must: 1) Accelerate Victim Identification 2) Make Digital Environments Safer and 3) Deter Predatory Behavior. Thorn was founded in 2012 to build technology to defend children from sexual abuse. How can law enforcement sift through massive amounts of data to focus their time on the most vulnerable victims? Spotlight does investigative work in minutes that can take hours sometimes to collect. <> endstream Register. (Don't see an email in your inbox? Per Kristin, "The genesis of Spotlight started after we conducted a sex trafficking Survivor Survey in 2012, seeking to learn directly from victims how technology was used throughout their trafficking situation. Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options. Empowering law enforcement to collaborate beyond jurisdictions or national borders is a key to success in identifying victims who are moved frequently, or are broadcast through peer-to-peer platforms (P2P) on the dark web from a hidden location. Get free shipping on all Thorne products, connect with health professionals and clients, and read Take 5 Daily to get the latest news in the health and technology industry. Editor's Pick Leise Hook / For Spotlight PA Rather, I will be detailing the UX/UI and program management that went behind the design of the on-boarding process, which I led during my time at Thorn. On AWS, we can also respond to feature requests from officers in weeks or daysnot a level of responsiveness public-sector agencies are used to seeing. Amazon Rekognition, which uses deep learning to accurately identify objects, people, activities, and events in images and videos stored in Amazon S3, is at the heart of one of Spotlights most crucial capabilities. GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader stream Using this data the company worked with law enforcement to understand how such digital footprints could lead to the discovery of victims and their traffickers. The objective of Spotlight is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of domestic sex trafficking investigations and increase the number of children who are identified and connected with help resources. Our brand NoFiltr reaches youth directly with prevention and support messaging to help them better recognize online grooming. Raise your voice against slavery this December! This combination of streamlining workflows and increasing successful victim identification is what has propelled Spotlight to its large user base. The insights we gained - was not only beneficial for the overall product development - but for the workshop design itself (I would continue to observe Spotlight usage at future sting operations, including Operation Cross Country, in which hundreds of juveniles were identified and pimps were arrested). I was given the goal of on-boarding 250 users in the next six months. We found that sixty-three percent of underage sex trafficking victims reported they had been bought or sold online. With the approval of the Thorn CEO, I led the design of a Spotlight product website and managed our vendors, Media Cause and Digital Reasoning - who were in charge of graphic design and engineering development. Eventually, I reached out to them, and we agreed to partner and co-teach a Spotlight Lab workshop at major conferences across the Nation to drive awareness and adoption. <>/Metadata 508 0 R/ViewerPreferences 509 0 R>> Facial analysis in Amazon Rekognition helps investigators find photos of the same person that have been edited to defeat less intelligent image-search engines. result in increased adoption of Thorns tools, a reduction in time to stop abuse and an increase in risk for perpetrators. With just over 20% of users reporting, we are confident these numbers represent the low end of our impact. COVID-19 Fraud. Thorn Helps Law Enforcement Identify Child Sex-Trafficking Victims Faster on AWS Answering the Challenge Using AWS According to our most recent survey, it is helping find more human trafficking victims, faster. In addition to a powerful team of experts, we work with the sharpest minds from tech, non-profit, government, and law enforcement to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material, stand up to child traffickers, and uncover new kinds of abuse. Help us get you more of the nonprofit information you need, including: An email has been sent to the address you provided. Spotlight is like a investigative partner in human trafficking investigations. 2021 Dressember | Dressember is a 501 (C)(3) | design by anne agency + marrow design, Grant Partners, Dressember2018, human trafficking, modern day slavery, child advocacy, buisnesses ending slavery and trafficking, BEST, Danyella Wilder. $10/mo. Initially, they had about 100 users from three U.S. states who were using Spotlight for their human-trafficking investigations. We are dedicated to ending child sex trafficking and eliminating child sexual abuse from the internet, and we wont stop until every child can simply be a kid. Both products had been around longer than Spotlight and had a few hundred more users than us at the time. Learn more about Amazon EC2 C5 Instances. Before presenting the first award of the night, "The Ranch" star Ashton Kutcher walked the red carpet in Dolce & Gabbana. According to our most recent user survey, Spotlight is helping find more child victims of human trafficking, faster. Thorn was founded in 2012 by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore to combat online child abuse. Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress. The internet has become a widely used place for sex traffickers to advertise. $120/yr. After I completed this phase of research, I used the information to iterate on the workshop design, and improve the overall usability of Spotlight. I also conducted guerrilla usability testing to learn about the major pain points of the product itself. Powered by 3.0 GHz Intel Xeon Scalable processors, Amazon EC2 C5 instances offer a memory-to-vCPU ratio that is ideal for demanding inference applications. All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved. We do all of this so every child can be safe, curious, and happy. Founded in 2012, Thorn builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse. Use of THOR in a manner outside the scope of these Rules is strictly prohibited. A verification email has been sent to you. Nothing makes my job more rewarding when a victim says "thank you" and tells me about her rebuilt life. "Our law enforcement partners say Spotlight helps officers identify child sex-trafficking ads much faster than the old paper-and-pencil methods," says Brooke Istook, director of strategy and operations at Thorn. Throughout this process, I worked collaboratively with Media Cause and Digital Reasoning to set timelines and execute. To request technical assistance, training, or other resources through this initiative, agency POCs shouldemail usor call 202-833-1460. Our product Safer is the first holistic solution for tech companies to detect, remove, and report child sexual abuse material at scale. While learning the ins and outs of Spotlight, and shipping features from our product backlog, I began to focus on ways to improve our on-boarding process for increased acquisition and adoption. Spotlight has been used in 21,044 cases identifying 12,328 adults, 5,791 children, and 6,553 traffickers in the past two years. Viral child sexual abuse material is removed from the internet to end the cycle of trauma. The rise of the internet has done for child sexual abusers the exact same thing it has done for everyone else - made it easier to share images, and build a community. All rights reserved. Thorn runs the countrys most extensive online deterrence program, communicating directly with people searching for CSAM, disrupting their sense of anonymity and encouraging them to seek help. After the sting operation, we sat down with FVTC and the DOJ to put together the curriculum for Spotlight Lab. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. It went from beta in Summer 2014, to extended beta in Fall 2014, to a national roll-out in Winter 2015. For this phase of the project, I used the data I already gathered from Spotlight users to create a journey for those seeking to learn more about Spotlight, request a demo, request access, and to log in. Dont see a resource that you know exists? I was given the goal of on-boarding 250 users in the next six months. Sign In. Learn more about Spotlight. User research through interviews, personas, and journey mapping of proactive and reactive searches had already been done prior to my start date. "Abusers had figured out how to use advanced technology to facilitate their exploitation of children," says Sarah Potts, the head of marketing and communications for Thorn, the California-based nonprofit that created Spotlight. "Day to day, we strive to balance hard work with care for ourselves and each other so that we have the resiliency we need to keep fighting," Kelbi writes, "At Thorn, we are invested in a team wellness plan where we carve out time to discuss how were feeling and how were approaching our work. I joined a superuser with the Louisiana State Police on a human trafficking sting operation in New Orleans, to observe how they used Spotlight in the field. Its not uncommon for celebrities to act on a social or political issue theyre passionate about. Don't recognize this agency? Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results. BACKGROUND Spotlight is a robust search tool that uses machine learning to help law enforcement identify victims of trafficking online. Armed with this data, we worked with our technology partners and law enforcement to understand how these existing digital footprints could assist law enforcement in faster victim identification. Kutchers company Thorn developed software to combat this challenge. In the last five years, we have reached more than 2.6 million people globally through our child pornography deterrence program. AWS support for Internet Explorer ends on 07/31/2022. Trafficking in human beings: protect women and children and focus on sexual exploitation, Desperate for Cash, Afghans Toil in Mines That Are Deadlier Than Ever, Forced to Beg: Tanzanias Trafficked Kids. <> It is the greatest tool we have in the fight against human trafficking., Special Agent, Wisconsin Human Trafficking Task Force. This year, Dressember is proud to partner with Thorn, an organization that uses technology to combat child sex trafficking. And its working. He also noted that Spotlight is reducing investigation times by 60 percent. I gathered additional information through phone call interviews with customers who were familiar with Spotlight and the other two products to get a sense of what features and design they liked. Julie holds a B.A. Law enforcement doesnt have enough time to navigate the online commercial sex market to find children and identify their traffickers. The Tennessee Fusion Center may share information contained within THOR with other law . Thorn developed Spotlight, an app that helps law enforcement close trafficking cases much faster than by using traditional manual methods. Reports from our users show that, with the help of Spotlight, law enforcement is identifying 9 kids per day on average and those who use Spotlight daily see over 60% in time savings. Spotlight was designed for law enforcement and prosecutors who investigate human trafficking networks so that victims can be identified and connected to services. We'll keep it out of your inbox, promise. Monthly Yearly One time only. Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? 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