As emerging technologies become more complex and interconnected, organized and serious crime stands as one of the most significant security threats confronting the European Union (EU) today. In the 1990s, organized crime was primarily, though not exclusively, defined by the illicit drug trade and associated turf wars. Today, organized crime has expanded beyond these “traditional” activities to include migrant smuggling, firearms, human trafficking, drugs, child exploitations, terrorism, cyber and intellectual property crime[1]. While these organized crime and terrorism groups continue to grow and adapt, there is urgent need to enhance cooperation at EU level to dismantle criminal networks and effectively address the emerging crimes arising from the increasing integration of advanced technologies. By 2030, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)[2] has defined as a top priority the significant reduction of illicit flows of drugs, humans, and arms, even as market for illicit goods continues to grow. Serious and organized crime is no longer just a threat to public safety; it impacts the very foundations of the EU’s institutions and society[3].
Current technological solutions are not optimized for interoperability and international cooperation, thereby hampering the effective detection, analysis and prevention of complex, multi-faced organized crime activities. To tackle the challenges posed by the isolated nature of these solutions for investigating cross-border illicit activities and enhancing global cooperation among Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), the EU-funded AVALANCHE project is transforming the current landscape through the development of an innovative, holistic and interoperable platform, aiming to significantly strengthen EU security policy priorities and resilient societies, promoting justice and the rule of law in a collaborative and innovative way. The project collaborates with Europol’s Innovation Lab to support Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) operational standards, establish a broad network of crime-related stakeholders, and reinforce its objectives by continuously receiving guidance from the EU Policy Instrument (EMPACT).
Specifically, empowered by the state-of-the-art technological achievements of currently disruptive technologies, seven (7) partners from five (5) countries, each possessing the necessary expertise to provide key technological solutions, will develop a new, comprehensive framework to broaden the operational capabilities of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). The ultimate technology solution will include tools for the semi-automatic collection of evidence, interoperable systems and interconnection with national and international databases through common standards, data and schemes alignment by integrating a variety of technologies and concepts, including: (a) Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (Natural Language Processing & Large Language Modes, Named Entity Recognition, Recurrent Neural Networks), (b) Dark and surface Web Crawling & Analytics (keyword-based Web Crawling, Tor Network Integration, Automated Seed URL Expansion, OSINT data collection), and (c) Next-Gen Web UI & integration.
The integrated platform will be demonstrated in various scenarios, and validated in a real-world LEA operational environment through the deployment of two (2) use case scenarios targeting (i) detection, investigation analysis and response aspects, and (ii) evidence-based and secure information exhange aspects.
ITML, as the project’s Scientific and Technology Coordinator, oversees the comprehensive design of the AVALANCHE solution architecture, ensuring the seamless integration of the framework’s distinct services. It also leads the development of a cutting-edge sentiment analysis module, powered by AI models, to support the Protection and Guard Service (SPP) officers in their investigative and decision-making processes. This module will significantly enhance social media monitoring capabilities, address critical issues, such as hate speech and disinformation, while providing Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) with tools to track social media accounts and threads linked to crimes, threats, or potential risks. ITML also develops an intuitive and unified front-end application suite, providing law enforcement officers with a consolidated dashboard to interact with the AVALANCHE platform and enabling officers to easily define criteria based on predefined crime-related categories.
[1] https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/cmbtng-rgnzd-crm/index-en.aspx
[2] https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/strategy/index.html
[3] https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/dna-of-organised-crime-changing-and-so-threat-to-europe
