USC Annenberg report reveals mobile as new battleground in fight against sex trafficking

November 13, 2012 – Mobile phones and devices are now being used to traffic minors for commercial sex in the United States. They are among numerous digital channels – including popular social networking sites and online classifieds – facilitating the exploitation of children, according to a newly published report from the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The Rise of Mobile and the Diffusion of Technology-Facilitated Trafficking is the latest CCLP research report on the intersection of technology and human trafficking, and the follow-up to CCLP's……

Latonero leads conversation with State Dept.'s Alec Ross on tech and diplomacy

In an era of WikiLeaks and network-accelerated revolutions, the State Department is fortunate to have Alec Ross on its team. Research director Mark Latonero hosted a lively conversation on September 12 with Ross, who has led the effort to update and transform diplomacy for the digital age as the State Department's Senior Advisor for Innovation…….

Amb. CdeBaca highlights CCLP efforts to combat human trafficking in year-end report

The director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking for the US State Department, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, released his end of the year report on the initiatives pursued to combat human trafficking and forced labor. Annually, the State Department releases the Trafficking in Persons Report which not only focuses on the issues that are pervasive in human trafficking, but also laying out future plans in order to end this crime. The Center on Communication Leadership & Policy hosted Amb. CdeBaca and other officials from the State Dept., including Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,……

Tech@State

The Center on Communication Leadership & Policy's Research Director, Mark Latonero, along with senior fellows, Jeremy Curtin and Adam Clayton Powell III, participated in the Tech@State Conference on Civil Society 2.0, which took place from November 4-5, 2010, at the US Department of State and World Bank in Washington, D.C. The conference was organized around several themes: transparency and engagement, economic opportunity, the position of science, technology, and the environment, risk management in disaster zones, and the structure and status of civil society in frail states. Several notable speakers highlighted the conference. Alec Ross, Senior Advisor for Innovation, Office of……

Technology and Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Research Team Travels to Mekong Sub-Region

From August 6 – 15, 2010, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy Research Director Mark Latonero and Research Associate Erin Kamler will visit Thailand and Cambodia to conduct initial research for CCLP's Technology and Trafficking In Persons (TIP) initiative. This trip developed out of the enthusiasm garnered at the June 3rd meeting in Washington, D.C., in which CCLP convened members of the State Department, the NGO community, academics and leaders in the technology field to brainstorm finding innovative technological solutions to combat this global problem…….

CCLP & State Department launch exploration of ways to use Technology to combat Human Trafficking

State Department and Congressional policymakers, along with nongovernmental organization and technology industry leaders convened in Washington, D.C. Thursday, June 3, 2010 to explore new ways communication technology might be used in global efforts to combat human trafficking. The meeting held at the USC Washington, D.C. Center was organized by USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy in partnership with assistance from the U.S. Department of State. Geoffrey Cowan, CCLP director and USC University Professor, co-chaired the gathering with Alec Ross, Secretary of State Clinton's senior adviser for innovation (pictured right). Ross opened the meeting with remarks about 21st Century……

State Department’s Alec Ross visits USC Annenberg to discuss new communication technologies & US foreign policy

CCLP hosted Alec Ross, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Senior Advisor for Innovation, for a visit to Los Angeles in February 2010 for a series of discussions about the impact of technology – current and potential – on key issues on the U.S. foreign policy and development agenda. CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan and USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III brought together entertainment, media, and academic leaders to explore ways in which their experience and expertise might facilitate the application of mobile, web and other rapidly evolving technologies in areas like human rights, economic development and women's empowerment…….