Final answer:
Traffickers use smartphones to control victims mainly through location tracking and communications, leveraging the advanced features of these devices. While smartphones offer benefits like navigation and connectivity, their surveillance capabilities present privacy concerns and can be misused by traffickers and oppressive regimes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Smartphones are highly effective tools for traffickers to control their victims, owing to their multifaceted capabilities that leverage modern technology. One significant way smartphones are used is to track a victim’s location and activities through GPS and various applications, which provides traffickers with real-time data on their victims' whereabouts and movements. Additionally, smartphones enable traffickers to maintain communication with both the victims and potential purchasers, facilitating the clandestine nature of their operations. The omnipresence of the internet on smartphones permits traffickers to advertise and reach a broader audience more easily. All of these uses make smartphones a valuable asset for traffickers in their illegal activities.
However, it's important to note that technological surveillance tools, while potentially misused, can have beneficial societal impacts. The technologies found in smartphones, like GPS, were developed with government support and can be used for positive applications such as navigation, communication, and enhanced convenience in daily life. Nonetheless, these powerful tools also raise issues of privacy and freedom, particularly if used by oppressive regimes or criminal entities.
Given their built-in cameras, microphones, and connectivity, smartphones can also be remotely controlled and used to spy on individuals without their knowledge, turning these personal devices into surveillance tools. This aspect can be exploited by traffickers to maintain control and exert influence over their victims. Law enforcement agencies can use similar approaches to capture criminals and protect public safety, which underscores the dual-use nature of this technology, emphasizing the importance of safeguards and limits to protect individual privacy rights.