Research from the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy was featured in a story from NPR’s “All Tech Considered” about the creation of new apps that serve humanitarian purposes.

"More tech businesses are getting involved in the human rights arena. And it's going beyond social corporate responsibility and beyond just PR," said Mark Latonero, research director for the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.

According to the article, a lot of new apps are being made to combat human trafficking. Latonero, whose research has dealt heavily with the crossover of technology and human trafficking, said that “some trafficking is actually occurring on networks run by big technology companies.”

Companies such as Google, Microsoft and IBM are all using analytics to detect and uncover illegal activity such as sex trafficking and money laundering. "These tech companies are interested in user safety," he says. "They understand that if they have a safe environment for their properties and products online that it's really good business."

Latonero is also the deputy managing director of the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, as well as a research assistant professor at USC Annenberg.