The app is called TraffickCam and was created by the Exchange Initiative as a resource for combating the global trade in vulnerable people. How it works is that hotel guests can download the app and then take four photos of their room. Recommended images are two pictures of the entire room from different locations, a photo of the bed taken from the foot of the bed, and a photo of the bathroom from the doorway. These images are then uploaded to a database that investigators can cross-reference with the photos posted online by sex traffickers, which show the victims posed in the hotel rooms where they are being held. By matching hotel room features such as carpet patterns, furniture, room accessories and window views, investigators can assemble a clear picture of the locations and routes that traffickers use when moving their victims around the globe.

The app launched on June 20th this year, and a database of around 1.5 million uploaded hotel images, and an estimated 1700 new photos are uploaded every day. It is available for iOS, Android and online and is free to use. It only takes a few seconds to upload your hotel room photos when attending a meeting or event, and you could help save lives. 

prevue © August 2016