Cyber trace a missing face - how cyber security can help find real missing people

Aug 20 2020 • 53 mins

The issue of missing persons in Australia is complex and multifaceted. Over 38,000 missing persons reports are submitted to police every year in Australia.

In this episode, we dive into the topic of OSINT (open-source intelligence) and explore how AustCyber partnered with the Australian Federal Police and Trace Labs last year to hold the National Missing Persons Hackathon – a new and creative way to reach, and engage with, the Australian community to highlight that the issue of missing persons is a community one, not just an issue for police, and cyber security has an important role to play.

We focus on:

Why and how people in Australia go missing
The challenges facing law enforcement when it comes to locating missing persons
How crowdsourced OSINT benefits law enforcement
The outcomes of the 2019 National Missing Persons Hackathon
The 2020 National Missing Persons Hackathon and how you can get involved!

Guests include Trish Halligan (Team Leader, National Missing Persons Coordination Centre), Chris Poulter (Founder and CEO, OSINT Combine) and Linda Cavanagh (National Network Lead at AustCyber and founder of the National Missing Persons Hackathon).

This month’s ‘cyber spotlight’ features Tony Surtees from laava.id. laava.id is an Australian business bringing innovative, secure marking and consumer engagement technology to brands in the fight against global counterfeiters – especially in Australian export markets. Built in collaboration with the CSIRO, Laava Smart Fingerprints help to safeguard businesses against loss of market share and reputational damage.

For more information about the organisations featured, visit: