Modern slavery takes many forms, and it happens all around the world. It’s a situation of exploitation that victims can’t leave, where they’re controlled by threats, punishment, violence, coercion, or deception. Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery. It relies on the internet and other digital technology to thrive, giving it a staggering global scale and pace. For a sense of the scale, there are an estimated 50 million victims worldwide and profits totaling $150 billion annually.

Organizations like Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance have joined the effort to find victims, as well as perpetrators. Hope for Justice is looking to encrypt data to protect sensitive information, knowing that behind it are the private lives of people who’ve been abused and traumatized and need protection. They are collaborating with Intel to use Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX) technology to protect data, which CEO Tim Nelson says, “has been amazing.”

Intel technology enables Hope for Justice to use Confidential Computing, which processes sensitive data out of view from unauthorized software or system administrators. The data is encrypted and processed in memory, lowering the risk of exposure to the rest of the system, which can compromise it. Confidential Computing relies on hardware-based controls, enabled by Intel SGX enclaves. Whenever victims are rescued, the address is recorded and encrypted to be stored securely. If another organization rescues another individual from the same address, Intel technology helps link the cases and alerts the appropriate agencies it has detected a suspicious pattern. Intel SGX allows agencies to share data securely by protecting it independently of the operating system or hardware configuration. It enables multiple organizations to collaborate on shared analyses while shielding their confidential information or regulated data.

Hope for Justice CEO Tim Nelson is confident that the power they’ve witnessed working with Intel SGX gives them a vital tool in unlocking freedom for countless victims around the world.