Associated Incidents
A court in São Paulo has asked for the execution of a facial recognition system to be stopped in the city's train stations, composes ZDNet.
Judge Cynthia Thome of the São Paulo State Court of São Paulo recently issued her decision in response to a complaint filed by a group of civil society organizations that demanded the suspension of the biometric system on the grounds that it violates the right privacy policy, describing it as "unlawful and disproportionate. »
The rights group had also raised concerns that the biometric system, exposed to be SecurOS, could be integrated with the electronic system of other facial recognition security entities without the consent of the persons concerned.
SecurOS is a video facial biometrics platform introduced by ISS in 2019, and it is managed for system transit by ViaQuatro. The company was actually tasked with capturing the biometric data of around 4 million daily users in the city of Sao Paulo.
In addition to shutting down the system, the court also stopped the Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo (METRO) from introducing any new equipment capable of recording and processing facial recognition information from subway users, according to ZDNet. The judgment also provides for a daily fine for the company in the event of failure to comply with the court order.
Another concern raised in the judgment is the reality that the city operator has demonstrated a lack of openness in communicating sufficiently about the nature and risks associated with the seizure, storage and processing biometric data of city users. The ruling says the system was also being implemented without a proper threat or impact assessment, as the facial biometrics company did not provide information on how the system works and how the information collected biometrics will be processed.
ZDNet says it called the city for comment, but the company said it was not informed of the decision. METRO told the outlet, however, that it would appeal and show that its system was released in accordance with relevant regional defense of information regulations.
ViaQuatro was bought by a court order in a civil crisis last May to stop the deployment of the facial recognition system in the São Paulo metro.
Running a facial recognition system in this city has faced strong resistance from civil rights groups.