The Prostitution Information Center (PIC) claims that WebIQ is operating a data-scrapping tool that produces a list of potential victims of sex trafficking and of children selling sex. PIC state the software is processing data from sex workers available online on sex work websites. They are selling access to the datasets to police and municipalities in the Netherlands.
PIC is preparing for collective litigation in the Netherlands to challenge these human rights violations and stop the data scraping from taking place. Before launching the case, PIC needs to prove that sex workers around the country are being harmed by the practice of data scrapping to fight against trafficking. This will require gathering individual cases, including obtaining access to information stored by municipalities.
Data scraping of sex worker websites
Organisation Name
Prostitution Information Center
Country/Jurisdiction
Netherlands
Amount Granted
EUR 26,536
Current Status
Ongoing
Image credit: Prostitution Information Center
Grant type
Pre-litigation Research Support
Description
The Prostitution Information Center (PIC) claims that WebIQ is operating a data-scrapping tool that produces a list of potential victims of sex trafficking and of children selling sex. PIC state the software is processing data from sex workers available online on sex work websites. They are selling access to the datasets to police and municipalities in the Netherlands.
PIC is preparing for collective litigation in the Netherlands to challenge these human rights violations and stop the data scraping from taking place. Before launching the case, PIC needs to prove that sex workers around the country are being harmed by the practice of data scrapping to fight against trafficking. This will require gathering individual cases, including obtaining access to information stored by municipalities.
"...sex workers around the country are being harmed by the practice of data scrapping to fight against trafficking"
Strategic Goal
To bring policy makers and sex workers rights groups together to better act on sex trafficking and underage sex work and to prevent further use of technologies such as WebIQ data scrapping software.
To challenge the narrative that human trafficking can be solved with the help of technological tools such as data scrapping but without requiring to consult sex workers or assess the impact it has on them.