Facial recognition in Brazil: absent students and racial bias

By Diana Baptista | Data Journalist

A facial recognition system used in schools in Brazil is being scrutinised by digital rights groups, who have denounced the expansion of so-called techno control in the country.In December, a coalition of organisations released a report on a facial recognition system that was implemented between 2022 and 2023 in 1,667 schools in the southern state of Paraná.

The system, known as Educatron, is meant to make roll call faster and curb absenteeism. It has also been used in some schools to monitor students’ expressions and allegedly predict violent behaviour.

Researchers found that the system was implemented without public consultation, and that the privacy notice provided to parents violates local legislation on the collection and storage of children’s biometric data. Educatron is also unable to accurately identify Black students – and even those sitting beyond the second row, Agência Pública found back in October.

Children make words during a class making up for the shortfall aggravated by the pandemic at the city public school Conde Luiz Eduardo Matarazzo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil June 23, 2022. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

The risks and biases of facial recognition systems being used in Brazil have been condemned by digital rights groups in the country.

Just last week, local media reported that a woman was detained by police in Rio de Janeiro after a facial recognition system wrongly identified her as a fugitive. She was released after a court confirmed an error in the system’s database.

“Even if she was released, this error caused public embarrassment and persecution that could affect the person irreversibly,” the IP.rec, an institute that studies the impact of tech, said on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.