São Paulo Defensoria Pública opposes facial recognition at Carnival
Brazil's São Paulo Public Defenders' Office requested that the city not use facial recognition technology at Carnival 2025, citing risks to freedom of assembly and discrimination. The city government rejected the request, stating the security system has been effective at apprehending fugitives and locating missing persons.
What happened
On 21 February 2025, three public defenders from the Defensoria Pública do Estado de São Paulo sent an official letter to the Prefeitura de São Paulo requesting that facial recognition technology from the Smart Sampa system not be used to identify individuals participating peacefully in Carnival blocks.
The Prefeitura responded on 25 February 2025 with stated surprise and indignation, promising to deny the request. The municipality stated it could not accept depriving the population of the security tool.
Reported impact
The Defensoria warned that facial recognition use during Carnival could violate fundamental rights including freedom of assembly and peaceful protest. The letter also flagged risks of discrimination and abuse.
Index analysis
The Prefeitura stated that Smart Sampa has resulted in the arrest of over 1,900 criminals in flagrante and the location of 41 missing persons since its implementation. In February 2025 alone, 143 fugitives were arrested, and one missing youth was located after 28 days.
Governance controls
The Defensoria recommended that facial recognition technology be used exclusively to allow the right to peaceful assembly and should not identify Carnival block participants.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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