Cook County sheriff reveals use of bots to combat human trafficking

CHICAGO - Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart addressed a growing concern at a forum today—prostitution and human trafficking.

Former Fox 32 political editor Mike Flannery attended the event and asked Dart about the time Backpage, a website once known for hosting adult ads, filed a lawsuit against him, which concluded when the Department of Justice seized and shut down the site.

What we know:

Sheriff Dart explained that after Backpage was shut down, other websites emerged, continuing to aid traffickers.

Now, his office uses bots to monitor these sites.

Dart detailed how the bots can post 20 to 100 ads in the time it takes a human to post one. The bots then engage with users and, if discussions shift toward child trafficking or serious offenses, the information is automatically forwarded to a real detective.

"And the bot is fantastic," Dart said. "So the message will go, ‘what are you looking for?’ and the bot will say this, and then it will keep leading them along."

What's next:

Dart also shared his opposition to Illinois potentially becoming the first state to decriminalize sex work, citing global studies showing that such measures do not effectively combat trafficking.