2024 was the most surveilled year in Brazilian history. Last year, the Panopticon, a Brazilian project that monitors how police acquire new technologies, reported a record increase in festivals—such as Carnaval—being monitored using facial recognition technologies (FRTs). Recently, the Rio de Janeiro military police created a program connecting over 200,000 cameras from businesses and individuals to their state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Center, which has facial recognition capabilities. The governor has already expanded the program to large events including Carnaval, concerts, and professional soccer matches. Such initiatives represent new forms of surveillance because of the ability of facial recognition technologies to systematically observe—and exert control over—communities through the collection and analysis of their biometric and personal information for tracking, profiling, and policing purposes. FRTs have been critiqued - particularly by critical race and global feminist practitioners - for making mistakes especially on individuals with darker skin tones , or who are transgender putting them at risk for traumatic situations when approached by police and falsely arrested.
My dissertation research uncovers algorithmic biases and follows the work of digital rights activists and organizers of anti-surveillance campaigns in Brazil who protest facial recognition camera initiatives. Thanks to the support of the Center for Global Studies, and the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies, I conduct preliminary fieldwork in Brazil, and this year through a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship I am conducting additional 10 months of fieldwork. During this presentation I will introduce the debates against using surveillance technologies and AI in public security and present firsthand experience of FRT and AI use at this year’s Carnaval.