One of the biggest challenges we face in finding and rescuing victims of sex trafficking is that they are unlikely to speak up on their own behalf. Under threat of physical harm, financially and often emotionally dependent on their pimps, they may not reach out for help. So, using machine learning and a text messaging integration, we built Ink Screen, an app that empowers friends, family, and community members to identify potential victims and discreetly offer them help.
Sex traffickers have the arrogance to brand people as property. We can use that practice against them. Our application uses machine learning powered image recognition to analyze a photo and determine whether it contains a tattoo that is associated with sex trafficking. If a user has an image they are certain depicts a sex trafficker's mark, they contrubute that image to further train our classifiers.
We link to resources to help users recognize the signs, report sex trafficking, as well as a resource for survivors to cover or remove unwanted tattoos.
Our app also has the option to anonymously text a possible victim, encouraging them to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline for help.
- Python
- flask
- jinja
- JavaScript
- jQuery
- bootstrap
- IBM Bluemix Visual Recognition