Digest

Dahia Bella Beade, an environmental scientist, has dedicated her career to combating ocean crime. She explains how the vastness and lawlessness of the open seas make it a haven for criminals, leading to a range of offenses including modern-day slavery, illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and even murder. She highlights the lack of visibility into the activities of most vessels, with only 2% being monitored. This lack of oversight allows criminals to operate with impunity, impacting communities on land through activities like money laundering and drug trafficking. To combat this, Beade and her team developed Hava, an AI investigator that uses 650,000 keyword combinations in 23 languages to identify criminal networks, ship routes, and locations. Hava has already been used to successfully identify and expose criminal activities, leading to the refusal of fishing licenses for Chinese vessels with criminal records and the uncovering of illegal fishing and labor offenses by Spanish companies. Beade emphasizes the importance of a human-centered approach to complement technology, highlighting the need for human understanding and engagement to effectively target criminals and protect our oceans.

Outlines

00:00:00

Introduction

This Chapter introduces the topic of ocean crime and its prevalence in the vast and lawless international waters. It highlights the challenges of monitoring and enforcing laws in these areas, leading to a breeding ground for various crimes, including modern-day slavery, illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.

00:01:45

Investigating Ocean Crime

This Chapter delves into Dahia Bella Beade's personal experience investigating ocean crime. She recounts her investigation of a Spanish-owned vessel suspected of illegal fishing, highlighting the deplorable conditions faced by the crew, which are indicative of forced labor. She emphasizes the widespread nature of ocean crime, citing various examples ranging from drunk driving to murder.

00:07:15

Hava: An AI Investigator

This Chapter introduces Hava, an AI investigator developed by Dahia Bella Beade and her partner. Hava utilizes 650,000 keyword combinations in 23 languages to identify criminal networks, ship routes, and locations. The program analyzes data from various sources, including press releases and Interpol notices, to build a comprehensive picture of criminal activity. Hava has been instrumental in exposing criminal activities, leading to the refusal of fishing licenses for Chinese vessels with criminal records and the uncovering of illegal fishing and labor offenses by Spanish companies.

00:12:22

Human-Centered Approach

This Chapter emphasizes the importance of a human-centered approach to complement technology in combating ocean crime. Beade argues that while technology is powerful, it lacks the nuanced understanding and knowledge that humans possess. She highlights the need for human interaction and engagement to effectively target criminals and protect our oceans.

Keywords

Q&A

• What are some of the challenges in combating ocean crime?

  The vastness and lawlessness of the open seas make it difficult to monitor and enforce laws, creating a haven for criminals. The lack of visibility into the activities of most vessels, with only 2% being monitored, allows criminals to operate with impunity.

• What is Hava and how does it work?

  Hava is an AI investigator developed by Dahia Bella Beade and her partner. It uses 650,000 keyword combinations in 23 languages to identify criminal networks, ship routes, and locations. Hava analyzes data from various sources, including press releases and Interpol notices, to build a comprehensive picture of criminal activity.

• How has Hava been used to combat ocean crime?

  Hava has been instrumental in exposing criminal activities, leading to the refusal of fishing licenses for Chinese vessels with criminal records and the uncovering of illegal fishing and labor offenses by Spanish companies.

• Why is a human-centered approach important in combating ocean crime?

  While technology is powerful, it lacks the nuanced understanding and knowledge that humans possess. Human interaction and engagement are crucial to effectively target criminals and protect our oceans.

• What are some examples of ocean crimes?

  Ocean crimes include illegal fishing, drug trafficking, human trafficking, piracy, and environmental crimes. These crimes are often difficult to detect and prosecute due to the vastness and lawlessness of the open seas.

• How does ocean crime impact communities on land?

  Ocean crime can have significant impacts on communities on land, including money laundering, drug trafficking, and the exploitation of labor.

• What are some of the consequences of illegal fishing?

  Illegal fishing can lead to overfishing, depletion of fish stocks, and damage to marine ecosystems. It can also involve forced labor and human trafficking.

• What are some of the challenges in combating drug trafficking at sea?

  Drug trafficking at sea is often difficult to detect and prosecute due to the vastness of the oceans and the sophisticated methods used by criminals. The lack of visibility into the activities of most vessels makes it challenging to track drug shipments.

• What are some of the ways that technology can be used to combat ocean crime?

  Technology can be used to track vessels, analyze data, identify patterns, and predict criminal activity. AI investigators like Hava can help to identify criminal networks, ship routes, and locations.

Show Notes