Anti-Trafficking Technology in 2025: What’s Changed and Where Are We Headed Next?

Digital technologies can serve as a powerful tool to disrupt modern slavery, prevent and detect trafficking-related crimes, and support survivors. This premise inspired the launch of Tech Against Trafficking (TAT) in 2018.

One of TAT’s first initiatives was to assess the landscape of anti-trafficking technology tools. The aim was to understand how technology was being used to combat human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery and identify tools that could be scaled for greater impact. The results of this assessment were published in TAT’s Interactive Map of Anti-Trafficking Tech Tools.

Today, we are launching the refreshed map and sharing key insights into how the anti-trafficking technology landscape has evolved since 2018.

In 2018, TAT’s Research Lead, the RESPECT initiative, implemented by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), initiated a data collection effort to map the landscape of existing technology solutions addressing trafficking. As part of this effort, data was collected from numerous sources, including BSR, the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR-CTHB), Salesforce.org, Unseen UK, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

To address inconsistencies in categorization across different datasets, TAT developed a standardized framework for consistent data entry. Additional desk research and outreach activities were conducted to identify technology tools used in non-English languages. This approach enabled a more nuanced understanding of the gaps and challenges in technology applications in this field.

This research led to the publication of a comprehensive analysis of technology tools. This study was among the first of its kind to systematically examine the intersection of technology and anti-trafficking efforts, providing a foundational evidence base for subsequent initiatives. Since then, the role of technology in both combating and facilitating trafficking has drawn increasing attention and targeted efforts from business, policymakers and civil society.

As Tech Against Trafficking (TAT) releases its refreshed map of 265 technology tools, we take stock of how technology is now being used to combat human trafficking worldwide.

Since the first mapping in 2018, global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing conflicts, and the climate emergency, have heightened vulnerabilities to trafficking. At the same time, rapid technological advances, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), have reshaped how trafficking is both perpetrated and prevented.

This refresh focuses on technology-based solutions designed specifically to counter trafficking, ranging from complex AI-driven systems to simple digital reporting platforms. It intentionally excludes broader law enforcement technologies such as phone interception systems or document fraud detection tools. While our mapping exercise does not measure impact, it refines the framework for understanding how technology is applied across regions and user groups to address trafficking more effectively.

Here are five key takeaways for tool developers and the broader anti-trafficking ecosystem:

1. Sustained investment matters: The number of active tools has fluctuated as many initiatives stall due to short-term funding and lack of maintenance. Of the 305 tools originally mapped in 2020, 74 have since become inactive, primarily due to lapses in funding and lack of ongoing technical support. Developers report that maintenance costs and platform updates remain critical hurdles to long-term viability.
2. Business usership is growing: Nearly half of all tools (46%) are designed for or used by businesses, reflecting the private sector’s central role in supply chain transparency, risk detection, and worker engagement. Businesses are increasingly acting not just as end-users, but as co-developers and funders, representing 44% of tool developers compared to 32% by NGOs. The private sector’s expanding footprint brings opportunities for innovation but also demands stronger governance to ensure ethical and rights-based deployment.
3. Prevention and worker voice tools are on the rise: There is a noticeable shift away from reactive enforcement toward empowerment and engagement tools. The new dataset shows a modest increase in tools aimed at raising awareness and education (17%), suggesting greater emphasis on early intervention. There has been a significant increase in the share of worker engagement and empowerment tools (16%), which may be attributed to a growing emphasis on labor rights protection and the implementation of more holistic methodologies in anti-trafficking interventions.
4. Innovation remains unevenly distributed: North America and Europe dominate tool development, while MENA and Oceania remain underrepresented. Language remains another barrier¹: 46% of tools are only available in English, with very limited multilingual capacity beyond French, Spanish, and Arabic. Closing this gap will require localized co-design, regional investment, and expanded linguistic coverage—particularly for tools used by migrant workers and at-risk communities in the Global South.
5. Access and transparency lag behind: With 84% of tools proprietary, open-source and open-access solutions are still the exception—restricting public accountability and local adaptation. The refresh highlights the importance of greater transparency in tool ownership, data provenance, and usage rights. Without these, promising innovations risk reinforcing silos and duplicating effort rather than strengthening collective intelligence.

The next phase of anti-trafficking technology will be defined less by the number of tools and more by how they are developed and deployed.

There is a growing role for AI-driven solutions in predictive analytics, risk assessment, and automated monitoring to anticipate trafficking risks, from online recruitment trends to forced labor instances in the supply chain. The potential of these technologies is significant but realizing it will depend on the quality of data available. This is a central focus of TAT’s Supply Chain Data workstream, which aims to strengthen data quality, comparability, and responsible sharing across sectors to inform more effective prevention and due diligence in supply chains.

Similarly, generative AI will increasingly aid anti-trafficking effort, from operational enhancements, to improving data analysis and pattern recognition, and refining prevention approaches. The uses cases explored in the TAT Accelerator Program demonstrate how generative AI can empower anti-trafficking NGOs. As these technologies evolve, their application must remain grounded in strong governance frameworks and survivor-centered safeguards. At the same time, NGOs should continue investing in technical literacy to ensure effective adoption.

Ultimately, as technology becomes more embedded in anti-trafficking responses, its success will hinge on the quality of the data collected, coupled with strong governance and survivor-centered ethics.

[1] TAT’s analysis is restricted to tools available in a limited number of languages. By extending the scope of analysis to encompass a more extensive range of languages, future research endeavours can facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of global anti-trafficking efforts and support a more equitable allocation of resources.