The annual summit aims to unite researchers, educators, engineers, architects and many of the Microsoft team to explore technological innovations and challenges in order to solve real-world issues.
Accordingly, Latonero (bottom right) spoke on a panel entitled The Role of Technology in Human Trafficking. Other speakers included danah boyd (Microsoft Research, left), Eduard Hovy (University of Southern California, center left), Mary G. Leary (Catholic University Law School, center) and Janis Wolak (University of New Hampshire, center right).
The panel sought to explore ways in which technology can be used — and how various disciplines can work together — to alleviate the growing problem of human trafficking.
“Human trafficking and technology is an issue that requires social scientists and computer scientists to work together. In fact, the solution cannot be found through the practice of one discipline,” Latonero said.
That technology plays a significant role in the issue of trafficking is undeniable, and though the solution is not clear-cut, Latonero believes merging disciplines is a step in the right direction. He concluded the panel with such approach:
“We have an opportunity to make a real contribution — with our attention to data, information, language, social behavior, computation, analysis, and measured — rigorous — research,” Latonero said. “By working together we can build the socio-technical interventions that will ultimately help the victims and survivors of human trafficking and the multitude of human rights issues to come.”