RITHMS Project intends to boost the operational capacity of Police and Customs/Border Authorities in addressing the increasingly organised and poly-criminal nature of trafficking in cultural goods through research, technological innovation, outreach and training.
It is currently widely recognised that the illicit trade of cultural objects, rather than a local phenomenon limited to the initiative of a few individuals, is a highly remunerative source of income for criminal organisations that have been taking advantage of the possibilities now offered by online auctions and social media visibility to expand further the already flourishing "grey market".
Against this background, RITHMS Consortium, which includes four Police authorities, two Border Agencies, one Police School, SMEs, and researchers from SSH and ICT, will propose an interdisciplinary approach and offer cutting-edge solutions to counteract illicit activities against cultural heritage more effectively.
The project will define a replicable strategy to counter the challenges in addressing the illicit trafficking of stolen/looted cultural goods and investigate the mechanisms underpinning it, including its connection with organised crime.
Eventually, RITHMS' interoperable AI-based Platform will be able to identify criminal organised networks and provide investigators with valuable intelligence on the activities and evolution of such networks.
RITHMS project intends to boost the operational capacity of Police and Customs/Border Authorities in addressing the increasingly organised and poly-criminal nature of trafficking in cultural goods through research, technological innovation, outreach and training. Illicit trade in cultural heritage has progressed from a local phenomenon limited to the initiative of a few individuals to a highly remunerative source of income for criminal organisations and terrorist groups that have taken advantage of the opportunities offered by the web and social media to further expand an already flourishing market. Against this background, RITHMS proposes an interdisciplinary approach made necessary by the transnational character of this crime and its links to other criminal networks.The project will define a replicable strategy to counter the challenges in addressing the illicit trafficking of stolen/looted cultural goods and to investigate the mechanisms underpinning it, including its connection with organised crime. RITHMS will foster cross-cutting research bringing together all the domains relevant to expand the understanding of this type of crime (art market, criminology, law studies, forensic science, etc.). Inputs from these disciplines will inform the theoretical framework underlying an interoperable AI based Platform able to identify criminal organised networks and to provide investigators with valuable intelligence on the activities and evolution of such networks. The Platform will be leveraging the methods of Social Network Analysis (SNA), a methodology that gives a way to better understand human behaviour through people's relations and interactions.Including four Police authorities, two Border Agencies, one Police School, SMEs, and researchers from SSH and ICT, The RITHMS Consortium is well positioned to offer solutions to counteract more effectively organisations involved in illicit activities against cultural heritage.