TellFinder XHT was the product of an ambitious three-year federally funded effort to develop next-generation search technologies that help investigators uncover human trafficking across the surface and deep web. More than 100 software developers and data scientists from 17 leading organizations and institutions came together to create TellFinder’s technology in close collaboration with trafficking experts, public prosecutors, law enforcement, and NGOs at the local, state, and federal level.
In partnership with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and with support from our technical collaborators, Uncharted operationalized TellFinder for human trafficking investigation and prosecution support for more than five years at no cost to the law enforcement community. The result was one of the largest evidentiary assets of its kind in the world.
Human trafficking generates $150 B profit for transnational organized crime every year and affects 25M victims globally. Despite the national media attention that TellFinder and others have garnered, the fight against it remains chronically underfunded. Efforts to expose and prosecute these crimes—the victims of which are largely disadvantaged women and children—are mostly left to NGOs to lead at significant personal cost. Our funding on TellFinder XHT operations ended after extensive efforts for additional funding were unsuccessful. It was with mixed feelings that after eight years it was our turn to leave that fight to others and apply our efforts to other socially impactful ventures. We remain immensely proud of the technical achievements and personal investment of team members that changed the lives of many.
We are no longer operating TellFinder XHT. For further information on TellFinder XHT data, contact us. Some TellFinder XHT data is available through Spotlight by Thorn.
