Abstract: This research focuses on the increased usage and importance of social media in human trafficking: how traffickers use the platforms for recruitment, advertisement, and evading detection by law enforcement. The approach will be using data mining and social network analysis to define patterns and networks and to understand vulnerabilities associated with trafficking activities. The research will employ a mixed-method approach that combines quantitative analysis of the content of social media with qualitative insights from interviews with law enforcement, NGOs, and survivors. Major sources of data are expected to include user-generated content, advertisements, and public posts on major social media. The study will correlate how online behaviors relate to incidents of trafficking, identify which particular platforms and communication channels are preferred by traffickers, and thus allow the identification of critical indicators of activity in social media interactions. Findings from this study contribute to the development of prevention strategies, like enhancement of monitoring systems, targeted community awareness campaigns, and collaborations between social media companies and advocacy groups. Knowing the digital footprint of trafficking allows research to highlight the potential for social media to use it as an intervention and awareness tool. Ultimately, it will produce strategic frameworks to encourage stakeholders to collaborate and strengthen communities to identify and react to situations of trafficking in the complexities of human trafficking in the digital age.

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2024.111269