Buyer Beware: AI Firewall for Human Trafficking

Discipline: CS

Advisor: Richard Leinecker

Buyer Beware: AI Firewall for Human Trafficking Detection is a senior design project dedicated to using artificial intelligence to combat online human trafficking. The system acts as a digital safeguard that scans online messages, ads, and posts for signs of trafficking-related language before it spreads across a network. By combining machine learning with ethical design, it identifies risky or coded content, such as disguised escort services or coercive languages and flags it for review or blocks it entirely. The goal is to empower organizations, schools, and communities with a proactive defense tool that can recognize trafficking patterns early and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation. Unlike traditional systems that only react after a crime has occurred, Buyer Beware focuses on prevention, awareness, and education. It also provides transparency through explainable AI, showing why a post was flagged. Ultimately, the project bridges technology and social impact, turning AI into a force for safety, advocacy, and positive change in the fight against human trafficking.

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