It is scientifically proven that facial recognition technologies discriminate against people based on their color and gender. Furthermore, their use in public security violates civil rights such as equality, privacy, and data protection. While countries in the Global North discuss the risks of implementing facial recognition in public spaces and ban the technology, in Brazil, the government invests public resources in acquiring equipment and expanding systems in all its states.
In 2022, the "Take My Face Out of Your Sight" Campaign emerged. A civil society mobilization for the banning of facial recognition technologies in public security. Over nearly two years of coordination, activists, researchers, artists, and workers come together to promote awareness actions, popular education, political pressure, and cultural demonstrations with the radical idea that it is possible to have a free future where our data is not used to pursue and incarcerate us. During this conversation, we will discuss how the advocacy strategy of the Campaign was developed and how the regulation of artificial intelligence in Brazil can legalize facial recognition as a tool approved by the state.
