I’m interested in reports that human trafficking is on the rise. I wasn't aware this was becoming more of an issue. Is there correlation between the introduction of mobile phones and an increase in human trafficking that would suggest new technology is an enabling factor?
I'm not aware of a study looking at that particular correlation, but there is plenty of data available on the problem itself. I wouldn't be surprised if such a study exists though. I am no expert, but I have read reports from what I at least consider reputable sources. Its an easy search.
You need to look at actual incidents: Has encryption been used to disrupt investigations of terrorism and/or sex trafficking.
The counter argument is that LE did okay before modern tech, and that the technology they already us extends their reach rather than just keeping up with an arms race.
The “next to each other” bit establishes a pattern of behavior that creates an investigative priority that might lead to probable cause. Do they have other sufficient options to do “old fashioned detective work” under the new system?
If so, then as the goal of society is not to make law enforcement as efficient as possible, how much pushback is reasonable and healthy, and when do we just cross into anarchy?
Second, what is different today is that pervasive tech has made it possible for people to communicate over distance in a shielded way. Before modern tech, people had to physically stand next to each other to have a truly private conversation. That is new. I think that makes legislators feel that since tech has enabled this capability, tech should be enabling a way to "fix" the issue. The argument isn't completely without merit. Along with all the positive benefits of tech, there are of course some downsides. The question is what role should tech have in mitigating the downsides. This is an attempt by Apple to provide a mitigation. Time will tell if this attempt was a good idea. It could provide some benefit, but will the cost be too high?