Brazilian Senate purchases Clearview AI facial recognition software
Brazil's Senate officially approved the purchase of a Clearview AI facial recognition licence in November 2024 for use by Senate police. Experts have raised concerns that the system's database of over 50 billion images was collected from public internet sources without consent, potentially violating Brazil's LGPD data protection law and privacy rights.
What happened
The Brazilian Senate formally approved in November 2024 the purchase of a licence for Clearview AI, a facial recognition programme based on artificial intelligence, for use by Senate police at a cost of R$ 87,680.
The Clearview AI system identifies individuals by comparing photos of faces against a database containing more than 50 billion images collected from public sources on the internet, such as social media and websites. According to the Senate's authorisation document, the programme was contracted to streamline the recognition of people within Senate premises, with the software serving as an initial filter for investigators rather than as a real-time surveillance tool.
Reported impact
Experts have raised concerns that Clearview AI's database was assembled without consent from the individuals whose images were collected, potentially violating Brazil's Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) and compromising privacy rights.
The method of data collection employed by Clearview AI has been the subject of criticism and legal disputes in multiple countries, with technology giants including Google and Meta having requested that the company cease collecting data from their platforms. In the United States, an ongoing class action lawsuit may require Clearview AI to allocate part of its revenue or shares to citizens whose privacy rights were violated.
Index analysis
The Senate contracted the Clearview AI licence without a competitive bidding process, justifying the decision on the basis that there was only one official representative of Clearview AI in Brazil. The contract, valid until November 2025 and subject to renewal, includes unlimited system queries, operational training and technical support.
Governance controls
The Senate's authorisation document states that 'no tool would completely replace the task of the analyst,' with the software's use intended only as an initial filter for people identification. The investigative treatment aided by the programme will continue to be carried out by Senate staff, and the system does not operate in real time as a surveillance tool.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.