Navigating Cyber Exploitation: Legal Frameworks for Combating Online Human Trafficking

Supriyedi Supriyedi

Abstract


The rapid advancement of digital technology has inadvertently facilitated new avenues for cyber exploitation and online human trafficking. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of current technology and digitalization laws in addressing these emerging transnational digital crimes. Employing a socio-legal research methodology, the paper examines legal frameworks alongside case studies of online trafficking syndicates. Results reveal that existing digital regulations are often outpaced by the rapid evolution of cybercriminal tactics. The study emphasizes the critical need for modernized legal instruments, enhanced digital forensic capabilities, and proactive public-private partnerships with technology companies to effectively dismantle online exploitation networks.


Keywords


Cyber; Digital; Exploitation; Law; Technology.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Journals:

Arief, Y., & Hidayat, A., Tantangan Yurisdiksi dalam Penegakan Hukum Kejahatan Transnasional Berbasis Siber di Indonesia, Jurnal Daulat Hukum, Vol 6, No 1 (2023);

Campana, P., & Varese, F., Studying Organized Crime in the Digital Age: The Role of the Internet in Human Trafficking, Journal of Human Trafficking, Vol 8, No 3 (2022);

Kusuma, A. W., & Pradipta, J., Algorithmic Policing: The Role of Tech Giants in Dismantling Online Trafficking Networks, Law Development Journal, Vol 5, No 2 (2025);

Larasati, D. A., Legal Certainty of Digital Evidence in Cyber Exploitation Cases: A Socio-Legal Perspective, Hasanuddin Law Review, Vol 10, No 1 (2024);

Lazarus, S., Suleman, M., & Chiang, M., Transnational Cyber Fraud Networks and Digital Coercion, Journal of Human Trafficking, Vol 10, No 2 (2025);

Liivoja, M., & Nakou, E., Countering Cyberattacks: Gaps in International Law and Prospects for Overcoming them, Law Journal Digital, Vol 3, No 2 (2024);

Pratiwi, D., & Ningsih, R., Social Media Grooming and the Rise of Cyber-Enabled Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, Vol 17, No 2 (2023);

Purwanto, H., & Nisa, K., Intermediary Liability and the Digital Duty of Care in Combating Cyber Exploitation, Journal of Digital Law and Policy, Vol 8, No 1 (2024);

Rahmawati, A., Ketentuan Regulasi Mengenai Perdagangan Orang terhadap Pekerja Migran Digital, Socius: Jurnal Hukum dan Masyarakat, Vol 5, No 2 (2026);

Rozanova-Smith, A., et al., Digital Trauma and the Permanent Footprint of Cyber Exploitation, Hasanuddin Law Review, Vol 11, No 1 (2025);

Santoso, B., & Yulianto, E., Bridging the Digital Divide: Forensic Capacity Challenges in Developing Nations' Law Enforcement, Hasanuddin Law Review, Vol 12, No 1 (2026);

Sarkar, A., & Shukla, V., The Escalation of Cybersex Trafficking: Legal Challenges and Technological Abuse, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, Vol 18, No 1 (2024);

Sativa, A., Siregar, R. D., & Rokan, M. K., Perlindungan Hukum Pidana terhadap Korban Perbudakan Digital WNI dalam Jaringan Penipuan Siber Transnasional, ALADALAH: Jurnal Politik, Sosial, Hukum Dan Humaniora, Vol 4, No 2 (2026);

Setiawan, R., Public-Private Partnerships in Combating Transnational Online Human Trafficking, Indonesia Law Review, Vol 15, No 2 (2025);

Susanto, M. A., Corporate Criminal Responsibility in the Era of Digital Platforms: A Shift from Safe Harbor to Strict Liability, Indonesia Law Review, Vol 14, No 2 (2025);

Symons, K., & Easton, M., Human Trafficking and the Internet: A Criminological Analysis of Cyber Recruitment, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, Vol 15, No 2 (2021);

Thompson, H., Navigating the Dark Web: Anonymity and the Commodification of Victims in Transnational Trafficking, Journal of Global Digital Crime, Vol 9, No 1 (2024);

Wibowo, A., The End-to-End Encryption Dilemma: Balancing Privacy Rights and Cybercrime Investigations, Law Development Journal, Vol 7, No 3 (2025);

Widiastuti, T., Public-Private Synergy in Cyberspace: Addressing Transnational Digital Crimes, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, Vol 16, No 3 (2023);

Widayati, W., & Rohman, M., The Integration of Technology in Modern Legal Frameworks for Cyber Crimes, Law Development Journal, Vol 4, No 1 (2022);

Yulianti, R., Translating "Code is Law" into Positive Law: The Future of Platform Governance in Southeast Asia, Hasanuddin Law Review, Vol 12, No 1 (2026);

Books:

Al-Fatih, Sholahuddin, 2021, Tantangan Penegakan Hukum Kejahatan Transnasional di Era Society 5.0, UMM Press, Malang;

Arief, Barda Nawawi, 2022, Masalah Penegakan Hukum dan Kebijakan Hukum Pidana dalam Penanggulangan Kejahatan, Kencana, Jakarta;

Asshiddiqie, Jimly, 2023, Teori Efektivitas Hukum dan Dinamika Sosial, Rajawali Pers, Jakarta;

Fajar, Mukti, 2022, Hukum dan Arsitektur Siber: Analisis Teori Lawrence Lessig dalam Regulasi Teknologi, Rajawali Pers, Jakarta;

Fedosiuk, Oleg, 2024, Towards Coherence in Criminal Justice: Challenges, Discussions and Solutions, Peter Lang, Berlin;

Marzuki, Peter Mahmud, 2022, Investigasi Siber dan Validitas Alat Bukti Digital dalam Hukum Acara Pidana, Kencana, Jakarta;

Maskun, dkk., 2021, Kejahatan Siber (Cyber Crime): Suatu Pengantar Terhadap Konsep dan Penegakan Hukum, Kencana, Jakarta;

Rahardjo, Satjipto B., 2025, Kecerdasan Buatan dan Penegakan Hukum Pidana Progresif, Genta Publishing, Yogyakarta;

Regulation:

Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions, as amended by Law Number 1 of 2024;

Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Criminal Act of Trafficking in Persons; Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Protocol);

Other Sources:

NICE Actimize, 2026, AML Tech Barometer 2026 Convergence, Crisis, and Control, Financial Crime Research Institute, London;

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2022, Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022, UN Publishing, Vienna;




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/icls.v6i1.53914

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Faculty of Law, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

PROCEEDING OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE LAW DEVELOPMENT FOR PUBLIC WELFARE (PICLDPW) has been indexed by National Acreditation and NELITI

Editorial Office: RUMAH JURNAL FH UNISSULA: 2nd Floor Imam As Syafei Building Faculty of Law Universitas Islam Sultan Agung. Jln. Kaligawe KM. 4, Semarang City, Central Java, Indonesia. Phone +62 24 6583584 Fax +62 24 6582455

WA: +6281325424803
Email: rumahjurnalfh@unissula.ac.id

Creative Commons License

PROCEEDING OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE LAW DEVELOPMENT FOR PUBLIC WELFARE (PICLDPW) (ISSN : 2798-9313), This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).