LAPIN, together with Access Now, Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC) and LaLibre.net (Tecnologías Comunitarias) produced a report on the use of biometric surveillance in Latin American countries.
The study had the participation of the director of Lapin, José Renato Laranjeira, and is available for download on the Access Now website.
Among the discussions dealt with in the report are the actions of governments, companies, the public and the media based on the use of biometric surveillance in different situations. “Why are governments adopting biometric surveillance technology without sufficient attention to people’s fundamental rights and the threat of widespread surveillance to democracy? As our report documents, politicians are responding to high crime rates by presenting a technological ‘solution’, and most media reports of this “progress” uncritically, without asking for evidence of effectiveness or inquiring about the protection of human rights. In particular, companies are so eager to develop the market and capitalize on this dynamic for profit or political favors , who sometimes give away the product for free. When neither government officials nor the public understand how these technologies really work, and no one has incorporated the transparency and accountability necessary to protect people, we have the perfect recipe for continued expansion and widespread use of these technologies”, writes the article available on the Access Now website.
