ANPD Orders Suspension of Facial Recognition in Paraná Schools
Brazil's national data protection authority (ANPD) ordered the state of Paraná to suspend a facial recognition system used to record student attendance in approximately 2,136 public schools, citing lack of legal basis, insufficient security controls, and inadequate oversight of the system's operation.
What happened
The ANPD ordered the Paraná state government to immediately suspend the use of biometric data of children and adolescents to record attendance in public schools, prohibiting collection, consultation, comparison, use and sharing of the information until further decision by the agency.
The system operated through the Escola Paraná Biometria application, which captured three photographs of each student for enrollment and then used classroom photographs taken by teachers to record daily attendance. The system, launched in 2023 as 'Chamada Inteligente', operated across 2,136 educational institutions involving the Secretaria de Educação do Paraná, Celepar and Valid Certificadora Digital.
Reported impact
The ANPD identified a lack of legal basis for processing the biometric data, absence of proof of security, insufficient controls over access and sharing of images, poor oversight of contracted companies, and failure to demonstrate less invasive alternatives. The system covered approximately one million students and more than 100,000 collaborators according to government data, though the ANPD stated it did not receive updated numbers on the system's current scope.
Index analysis
The government of Paraná stated that the system was used as a pilot project and ceased being adopted in July 2026 with the termination of the contract with the responsible company. The government also claimed the service never exposed student data.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.