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Google turns its search to criminals

Many sophisticated operations are run online, so a Google think tank is working to find ways to disrupt international crime

By Martha Mendoza
Associated Press

Forget videos of cute kittens or good deals on iPads. For the past few months, Google has been quietly turning its search capabilities to something far more challenging: Internet crime.

Drug cartels, money launderers and human traffickers run their sophisticated operations online. So Google Ideas, Google’s think tank, is working with the Council on Foreign Relations and others to look for ways to use technology to disrupt international crime.

At a summit in Westlake Village, Calif., this week, people working to halt illicit networks — from former child soldiers to an assistant defense secretary — will be sharing ideas about cracking down on global crime.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press