Microsoft’s Chatbox Trolls Men Looking for Sex Online

Nothing will give you erectile dysfunction like finding out that the woman you’re sexting is actually a chatbox. And that’s sort of what Project Intercept—an initiative that works to combat sex trafficking—is counting on.

The Chatbox working against sex trafficking

Designed by Microsoft employees after seeing “Rape For Profit,” a documentary about sex trafficking, the chatbox kicks in when men (or women) respond to a fake ad soliciting sex.

At first, the software pretends to a person, texting false information about its (fake identity’s) age, body, fetish service and cost. But as soon as the men ask about paying for sex, the chatbox responds with tongue-lashing. One message says:

“Buying sex from anyone is illegal and can cause serious long-term harm to the victim, as well as further the cycle of human trafficking. Details of this incident will be reviewed further and you may be contacted by law enforcement for questioning.”

If the man had expressed having sex with someone underage, or doing something else illegal, the warning would be different.

Does the chatbox actually work?

As of August 2017, the chatbox had exchanged 14,000 messages with nearly 1,000 people. About 50% of those people said something to trigger one of the messages. So yes, it works.

Unfortunately, it’s just a drop in the bucket in the fight against sex trafficking. According to an article on Wired.com, one online sex ad attracts an average of 63 potential buyers. But there’s hope: the chatbox program is being deployed more widely, thanks to Project Intercept’s lead partner, Seattle Against Slavery.

There’s also another service developed by Project Intercept that works to help sex workers. It’s called Victim Reachout and it works by sending messages to the phone numbers listed in online sex ads, offering support and assistance getting out of the sex trade.

Remember, responding to online ads selling sex is like responding to those ads trying to sell you fake erectile dysfunction pills. You never know what you’re going to get and—in the cases of paying for sex or buying fake Viagra, Cialis or Levitra—it could be illegal.